Jonathan Majors was on Monday found guilty of assaulting his former girlfriend Grace Jabbari. The Marvel actor was arrested in March in New York after Jabbari, who is also a British choreographer, accused him of attacking and injuring her.
According to prosecutors, the couple were in a car in New York when Jabbari saw a text message from another woman on Majors’ phone, which read: “Wish I was kissing you right now.”
Prosecutors said that when Jabbari took the phone, Majors grabbed her, twisted her arm behind her back and hit her in the head to get the phone back. Jabbari told the court that the attack left her with a fractured finger, a cut behind her ear and bruising.
Majors previously pleaded not guilty to charges of misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault and harassment.
The six-person jury’s verdict was announced after three days of deliberations and a 10–day-long trial. Majors was guilty of one count of assault and one count of harassment but was acquitted of another count of assault and one aggravated harassment count.
It is now being asked whether the 34-year-old actor will serve jail time. Media reports say that he faces up to a year in jail when he is sentenced on February 6 next year.
“I would say that it’s highly unlikely that he does any type of significant time,” Brett Ward, a partner at Blank Rome who is not connected to the case, told People.
Ward said misdemeanors are punishable by “up to a year in prison” in New York, however, a heavy sentence like that would be “normally unlikely” as the judge could opt for behavioral programs and probation.
Still, the judge could do otherwise, “to show that this type of behavior will not be tolerated, [that] you don’t assault your intimate partner,” Ward said.
Ward further told People that Majors may appeal and if any jail time is given, “he may serve it.”
“Or he could try to stay that, pending an appeal. And if it’s not jail, then he’ll take care of whatever he has to take care of in terms of any kind of programs or probation the court requires.”
After reports that he had assaulted his former girlfriend, Majors was dropped by his management team and has now been dropped from starring roles in Marvel movies.
