The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
The woman who previously accused Jonathan Majors of assault is now suing him in federal court for defamation, assault and battery, according to court documents filed in New York on Tuesday.
Grace Jabbari, Mr Majors’ ex-girlfriend, is bringing the suit against the actor after he repeatedly claimed that he did not assault her before and after his domestic assault trial last year. A jury found him guilty on one count of reckless assault in the third degree, a misdemeanour, and harassment in the second degree.
The 31-year-old British dancer accused Mr Majors of slapping her, fracturing her finger, twisting her right arm and striking her right ear, causing her to bleed in an incident that allegedly happened on 25 March 2023.
Majors was arrested that evening after he found Ms Jabbari in his Chelsea apartment following the incident and called 911. He told authorities he suspected that his then-girlfriend had attempted suicide or overdosed.
The actor later filed a domestic violence report against Ms Jabbari in June. The Manhattan DA’s office ultimately decided not to pursue the case. Mr Majors’ sentencing hearing has been delayed until 8 April. He’s facing a year in prison on the misdemeanor charges.
In a statement, an attorney for Ms Jabbari, Brittany N Henderson, said, “It takes bravery to hold someone with this level of power and acclaim accountable. Bravery that Grace Jabbari has demonstrated at every stage of the legal process.
“We strongly believe that through this action, truth and transparency will bring Grace the justice that she deserves.”
Much of the criminal trial focused on Ms Jabbari’s testimony. The suit accuses Mr Majors’ defence attorneys of using Ms Jabbari’s time on the stand to defame her at the end of the proceedings.
“[T]his entire case is built on Grace’s lies—and, boy, does Grace lie. These prosecutors bought Grace’s white lies, her big lies, and all her pretty little lies,” the court documents state.
After Mr Majors’ conviction he participated in an ABC News interview in which he told the outlet that Ms Jabbari lied about her claims and had “never laid [his] hands on a woman”.
The couple met on the set of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in 2021 August. Ms Jabbari was a movement director and Mr Majors starred as the movie’s villan. The actor had slipped the woman his phone number through a hair stylist, she said on the stand.
By December, she said, their dynamic had shifted. In one instance, she brought up her ex-boyfriend in a conversation about Mr Majors’ dogs, which prompted him to yell at her. The dancer said it was the first time she was scared of her boyfriend.
Prosecutors at the trial attempted to display a “manipulative pattern” of abuse, including text messages Mr Majors sent to Ms Jabbari asking her not to go to the hospital following an alleged altercation. He even threatened to commit suicide if she went, text messages showed.
The most damaging piece of evidence perhaps was a video of the couple on the night of the March incident in which Mr Majors can be seen pushing Ms Jabarri into a car, yanking her onto a road and then running away from her.
Priya Chaudhry, an attorney representing Jonathan Majors, said the actor is preparing counterclaims against Ms Jabbai.
“This is no surprise,” the said in an emailed statement.
This is a developing story…