Marvel actor Majors avoids jail time after being convicted of assault

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AFPJonathan Majors leaves court in New York after his conviction in December

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 17:56

American actor Jonathan Majors will not have to go to jail for assaulting his ex-girlfriend. A judge in New York obliges him to follow an intervention program for abusers for a period of one year. The 34-year-old Majors must also continue to work on his mental condition through therapy.

If Majors does not comply with the rules, he will still face a prison sentence; the judge could have sentenced him to a year in prison in the case.

The actor was found guilty of assault by a jury in December in the criminal case brought against him by his ex, Grace Jabbari.

Bad relationship

The incident between Majors and Jabbari started in the backseat of a car. According to the lawyers, Jabbari became furious with Majors after she read a message from another woman on his phone. The actor then allegedly tried to get his phone back and became aggressive.

Jabbari stated that Majors hit her in the head with his hand. He also allegedly pulled the woman’s arm back and squeezed her middle finger until it broke.

During the trial it became clear that Majors had had a bad relationship with Jabbari for a long time. This was evident from text messages between the two that were shown in court by Jabbari’s lawyers. In one of the messages, Majors begged his ex-girlfriend not to go to the hospital with a head injury because that would lead to an investigation. The jury therefore considered it proven that Majors abused his girlfriend.

Majors’ lawyers maintained in the lawsuit that Jabbari had assaulted the actor. In addition, she would deliberately try to “destroy his career”. The jury did not agree with that. In the months that followed, Majors attempted to have his conviction overturned, which led to a postponement of the judge’s sentence. But a court finally rejected his lawyers’ request last week, after which he heard his sentence today.

Civil case

In court today, Jabbari described her ex-boyfriend as “someone who feels like he is above the law.” Jabbari: “He’s not sorry. He’s going to hurt other women.” Majors himself decided not to say anything, also because, according to his lawyer, his words could be used against him in the ongoing civil case that Jabbari has filed against him.

After hearing his sentence, Majors left the courtroom without saying anything. It is still unclear whether he will appeal.

Immediately fired

Majors was on the cusp of becoming one of the biggest stars in Hollywood at the time of his conviction; he had just been roped in as supervillain Kang in a new series of Marvel superhero films. Those films have been a success for years; the 33 superhero films since the first Marvel film in 2008 (Iron Man) have raised about $30 billion.

After his conviction, Majors, also known for films such as The Last Black Man in San Francisco in Creed III, immediately fired by Marvel. It is not yet clear whether the film studio will choose another actor to replace Majors in the role of Kang, or whether the studio will take a completely different course with the planned films.