A six-person New York jury found actor Jonathan Majors guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and harassment on Monday. The verdict was reached after a little over four hours of deliberation spanning across three days. Shortly after, Marvel Studios dropped the actor, according to Variety.
Majors was arrested on March 25 on charges of assault, strangulation and harassment stemming from a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. During the trial, which began on Dec. 4, Majors faced four remaining charges of misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment and harassment. Four of the previous eight charges were dismissed and merged into one count of assault ahead of opening statements “due to the nature of the injuries,” per The Hollywood Reporter.
The Marvel actor was found not guilty on one count of intentional assault in the third degree and aggravated harassment in the second degree. His sentencing is set for Feb. 6.
Following his arrest, Majors himself pleaded not guilty to all charges. His legal team also maintained his innocence, claiming instead that Jabbari made up the allegations in an effort to taint Majors’ career and reputation following their breakup. His team further asserted that Jabbari, not Majors, was the aggressor in a domestic altercation that took place inside a car.
The charges against Majors were brought by the state of New York, rather than by Jabbari. The case itself was a criminal trial, rather than a civil trial.
Majors had already been dropped by management and his publicist, and had his ads for the U.S. Army pulled when he was initially arrested. The actor plays Kang the Conqueror in the MCU – introduced in "Loki" and seen in "Ant-man and the Wasp: Quantumania." His character was supposed to be featured in "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty," which has been officially renamed as "Avengers 5" in the wake of the recent verdict. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie title change signifies that Kang will be completely written out instead of recast.
"Avengers 5" was scheduled to shoot in 2024, for a 2025 release.
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