Three months after being found guilty of assault, actor Jonathan Majors now faces new allegations in a defamation lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend, accusing him of verbal and physical abuse, according to a civil complaint.
CNN reported that Grace Jabbari filed the suit Tuesday in a New York federal court, alleging battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, malicious prosecution and defamation. According to the suit, these accusations stem from incidents allegedly occurring during their nearly two-year relationship.
As Blavity reported, Majors was found guilty of harassment and reckless assault in the third degree by a six-person New York City jury in December. While facing charges of two counts each, he was convicted of only one count of assault and one count of harassment regarding a domestic violence dispute with Jabbari in March 2023.
The 34-year-old’s sentencing, initially set for Feb. 6, was rescheduled to April 8 in New York City. Majors could face up to one year in prison for the assault conviction. Additionally, he faces a maximum of 15 days in jail and being fined $250 for the harassment violation, per CNN.
The complaint also referenced Majors’ exclusive interview on Jan. 8 with ABC News, in which he denied ever assaulting a woman. However, evidence presented during his December trial regarding these allegations proves otherwise.
“When publicly confronted with Grace’s numerous allegations of abuse, Majors has called her a liar at every turn and very specifically claimed that he has never put his hands on a woman, with the goal of convincing the world that Grace is not a victim of domestic abuse but instead a crazy liar who should be treated as such,” according to the lawsuit obtained by Deadline.
Majors’ attorney, Priya Chaudhry, shared her thoughts on Tuesday’s filed complaint: “This is no surprise,” Deadline reported she said. “Mr. Majors is preparing counterclaims against Ms. Jabbari.”
Multiple incidents of abuse against Jabbari were documented, beginning with an alleged attack by Majors in July 2022, the suit states. Jabbari also threatened to tell his team about the abuse, which only escalated the violent behavior, per Deadline.
The Creed III actor was arrested on March 25, 2023, on charges of strangulation, harassment and assault. Jabbari told police Majors had attacked her in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood where he lived. She reportedly sustained multiple injuries to her head and neck at the time of the incident, Blavity reported.
Throughout several months of legal battles, Majors has faced significant setbacks, losing numerous film and endorsement opportunities as a result of the assault case. Marvel dropped him following the guilty verdict, and production company Searchlight backed out as distributor of his film Magazine Dreams. In addition, Majors will no longer play Dennis Rodman in the forthcoming 48 Hours in Vegas.