Opening Statements in Jonathan Majors Trial Paint Two Different Pictures of Domestic Dispute Incident

On Monday, opening statements for Jonathan Majors’ domestic dispute trial began.

Prosecutors in the case argued that the Creed III star ‘engaged in a cool and manipulative pattern’ of psychological abuse leading up the incident,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. They claimed that the relationship between Majors and his accuser and now ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari started off smooth back in 2021 but allegedly took a turn for the worse when Majors’ “true self emerged,” which essentially looked like alleged controlling, manipulation, “withoholding affection” and threatening suicide as a way to get her to conform to what he wanted her to do.

Describing an incident of Majors’ alleged behavior, Assistant District Attorney Michael Perez alleged that in September 2022, Jabbari went drinking with a friend and then afterward brought thatr friend back to the home she shared with Majors. This, in, turn, upset him and led to him allegedly screaming and throwing random belongings. Additionally, Perez also alleged that there’s a recording of Majors’ allegedly yelling at her and saying that she needed to “live up to standards of Coretta Scott King and Michelle Obama” and allegedly saying “I am a great man.”

Of the night of March 25, the night of the incident that put this whole trial in motion, prosecutors allege that Majors assaulted Jabbari in the back of the car they were riding in in Manhattan that night and when she tried to leave the car he “threw her back inside ‘like a football.’” As for Jabbari’s appearance dancing in a night club shortly after the incident, the prosecutorial team said she did so only to “block out” the events that transpired earlier.

Naturally, Majors’ legal team led by Priya Chaudhry denied that her client has ever displayed a pattern of abuse, describing him instead as a “a father, a poet, a devoted, practicing Christian and an actor.” She further argued that Jabbari made false allegations to “hurt him at the height of his career,” as a result of being hurt over him ending their relationship.

“In revenge, she made these false allegations to ruin Jonathan Majors and to take away everything he had spent his whole life working for,” she said per THR, further painting Jabbari as the aggressor.

THR with more:

Chaudhry further claims that Jabbari was the aggressor and hurt Majors while in the car, including slapping, clawing and scratching him and later tearing his coat. She alleges that he “scooped her up and put her back in the car,” rather than threw her in, because she was in danger of running into traffic. She further alleges that Majors tried to run away from Jabbari several times, before checking into the hotel, while Jabbari was unhurt and partying with strangers.

When he returned to his apartment the next day, Chaudhry says Majors found Jabbari on the floor and called 911 out of concern. Chaudhry alleges that Jabbari was “confused and nearly unintelligible” and said “I don’t know” 19 times when initially questioned about her injuries, before agreeing with police when they asked if Majors had caused them.

“This is a case about the end of a relationship, not about a crime, at least not one that Mr. Majors committed,” she said.

As previously and extensively covered by The Root, Majors currently faces “two counts of assault in the third degree, attempted assault in the third degree, aggravated harassment in the second degree, and harassment in the second degree.” If convicted, he could spend up to a year in jail. He has pled not guilty to all charges.