Long before Jonathan Majors allegedly attacked his ex-girlfriend in the back of a chauffeured car, the actor “engaged in a cruel and manipulative pattern of abuse” against choreographer Grace Jabbari, New York prosecutors claimed in court on Monday.
Prosecutors allege that Majors was emotionally and psychologically abusive throughout their two-year relationship, including throwing household items at a wall during a fight and yanking Jabbari’s headphones out while she was running to berate her. In another recorded altercation, Majors insisted he was “a great man” before demanding that Jabbari live up to the standards of Coretta Scott King, prosecutors say.
“The psychological and physical effects of domestic violence take a devastating mental toll on the victims,” Assistant District Attorney Michael Perez said during opening arguments in Manhattan criminal court. “On March 25, 2023, the defendant, Jonathan Majors, committed domestic violence against his then-romantic partner.”
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Those allegations came on the first day of the two-week trial against Majors, who faces several misdemeanor counts. He has denied all allegations of wrongdoing in the case that briefly sent his career into freefall.
Majors walked into the packed Manhattan criminal courtroom with his girlfriend, Meagan Good, and was armed with a thick black binder and poetry book. Before taking his seat at the defense table, Majors kissed Good and greeted several family members seated in the gallery.
Before the jury was brought into the courtroom for opening arguments, prosecutors moved to dismiss four counts due to the “nature of the injuries and the facts that we’re alleging in this particular case.” Judge Michael Gaffey accepted the request to merge the assault counts, meaning Majors will now be tried on four harassment and assault counts.
The case against Majors has been plagued by delays, a failed motion to dismiss, and charges against Jabbari that prosecutors declined to move forward. Throughout the months-long legal battle to get this case to trial, Majors’ team has gone to great lengths to prove his innocence.
In his opening arguments, Perez said the couple were heading home after a night out when Jabbari leaned her head on Majors’ shoulder and saw he’d received a text from someone named “Cleopatra.”
“I wish I was kissing you right now,” the message read, which also included a link to the 1995 D'Angelo song “Lady.”
Stunned, Jabbari grabbed the cell phone while their car was driving over the Manhattan Bridge, according to Perez. In response, Majors allegedly responded by grabbing her arm, placing it behind her body, and using his right hand to twist her right arm and finger. When the pair got out of the car, prosecutors allege, Majors was seen on camera picking up Jabbari and shoving her against the Escalade several times.
Perez alleged that during the fight, Majors threw Jabbari “like a football.”
Jabbari was granted an order of protection against Majors in April that is still in place. In June, Majors filed a domestic violence NYPD complaint against Jabbari, alleging that he was actually the victim that night.
During her opening arguments, defense lawyer Priya Chaudhry argued that the actor was the only person to emerge “from the car with a bloody gash, scratched, and scared.”
The lawyer added that Majors went to a hotel that night and sent Jabbari a text “permanently ending their relationship.” Jabbari, she alleges, went clubbing and dancing after the altercation for hours. (Surveillance footage of Jabbari at the club was among several pieces of evidence that Chaudhry released prior to trial, as well as text messages between the pair.)
“You will see video in the early morning hours of Ms. Jabbari rifling through her phones and signing the hefty bar bill she pays for with Mr. Majors’ credit card,” Chaudhry said, adding that Jabbari then went back to Majors’ apartment. “She had no bruising, swelling, or apparent discomfort for the finger she claims Mr. Majors broke hours earlier.”
Back inside the apartment, Chaudhry said, Jabbari called Majors at least 32 times and sent him a slew of text messages about the woman who sent the text message. Jabbari was later found by police inside Majors’ bedroom closet—after the actor called 911—and taken to a local hospital. Prosecutors say that Jabbari sustained a fracture on her right finger.
“Ms. Jabbari and Ms. Jabbari alone says Mr. Majors assaulted her in an SUV,” the lawyer said, arguing that Jabbari told police 19 times she did not know how she got the injuries when they initially questioned her.
Perez alleged that months after the incident, Majors continued to victimize Jabbari when he filed a NYPD counterclaim, accusing her of assault. Jabbari received a desk appearance ticket on criminal mischief and misdemeanor assault charges in connection with the counterclaim, but the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has already dropped the charges against her, saying they lacked “prosecutorial merit.”
The allegations against Majors sparked outrage in Hollywood, and he was dropped by his management and PR firm. He was also released from a number of upcoming productions and campaigns. Chaudhry said on Monday that Majors’ “lifetime of hard work was coming to fruition and his career seemed unstoppable” before Jabbari accused the actor of abuse in March.
