Jonathan Majors Accused of Strangling Ex-Girlfriend Grace Jabbari in New Lawsuit for Defamation, Assault
Jonathan Majors is being accused of trying to strangle his ex-girlfriend in a new lawsuit she filed Tuesday in New York federal court, a lawsuit in which she also accuses him of defaming her following his January interview with ABC News.
According to court documents obtained by ET, Grace Jabbari is suing the embattled actor civilly for defamation, malicious prosecution, assault and battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Jabbari claims she suffered physical abuse at the hands of Majors for years, and that the alleged abuse escalated after she reported it to his management team.
In a statement to ET, Majors' attorney, Pirya Chaudhry said, "This is no surprise. Mr. Majors is preparing counterclaims against Ms. Jabbari."
Meanwhile, in a statement to ET, Jabbari's legal team says, "Everyone is entitled to feel safe. We are proud to stand by Grace for having the strength to come forward despite how challenging it may be."
Jabbari's claims in her civil suit outline instances that were briefly covered in Majors' domestic violence trial, in which he was convicted of assault and harassment but acquitted on the two more serious counts of intentional assault in the third degree and aggravated harassment in the second degree. The case stemmed from a March 25 arrest in New York City, where prosecutors claimed Majors "struck, shoved, kicked and otherwise subjected another person to physical contact thereby causing physical injury to such person and to a family and household member of such person" during an argument in the backseat of a car.
Jonathan Majors at the Manhattan criminal courts in New York City on December 18, 2023.
Prosecutors in that case sought to include a litany of abuse allegations, but Majors' legal team successfully argued that the evidence was inadmissible because they were "highly prejudicial."
For example, a number of disturbing text messages and audio recordings, detailing what prosecutors alleged showed Majors' erratic and violent behavior, came to light, including one such text purportedly sent by Majors in September 2022 in which he threatened to kill himself as Jabbari contemplated going to the hospital after allegedly sustaining a head injury during a prior altercation. According to text messages allegedly sent by Majors, prosecutors claimed he did not want her to seek medical help and attempted to dissuade her via text.
In her new lawsuit, Jabbari alleges how she sustained the head injury.
"On September 20, 2022, Majors became physically aggressive with Grace. Majors pushed Grace so hard that it bruised her backside," the court documents claim. "When Grace got up, she attempted to leave the house. Majors picked Grace up in the air and threw her against the hood of her car. Grace began shouting for help. Majors then forcefully grabbed Grace, placing her in a headlock and put his hand over her mouth to prevent someone from hearing her cries for help. He brought Grace back into their house and held his hands around her neck, stating that he wanted to kill her, and that he was going to kill her. Majors then started hitting Grace’s head against the marble floor while strangling her until she felt she could no longer breathe."
Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good leave the courthouse following closing arguments in Majors' domestic violence trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on December 15, 2023 in New York City.
Jabbari, who first met the Creed III star while on the set of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in London, went on to claim that after the alleged incident, Majors "texted her asking her not to tell anyone about what had occurred." In January 2023, Jabbari claimed she alerted the actor's management team about the alleged abuse. After his management team relayed the information to him, Jabbari claimed he became "furious at Grace for betraying him and telling a member of his team that he had physically assaulted her."
As for the defamation claim, Jabbari alleges that Majors defamed her in his interview with ABC News following his conviction.
"My hands have never struck a woman -- ever," he claimed in a new interview with ABC News' Linsey Davis. As for how her injuries came about, the actor said, "I wish to God I knew."
"That would give clarity, that would give me some type of peace about it," he said. Still, he maintained he did not cause them. "I have no question," he said.
In court documents, Jabbari says Majors "undertook a concerted campaign to discredit and defame" her by "attacking her honesty and truthfulness and impugning her mental health."
Jonathan Majors leaving court in New York City.
The court documents also state, "In shocking denigration of our criminal justice system, following his conviction and prior to sentencing, Majors participated in an exclusive interview with ABC News wherein he doubled down on his public attack of Grace, claiming that she is lying about the entire pattern of abuse she has described, as he has 'never laid [his] hands on a woman.'"
In the wake of his arrest, the Marvel star was dropped by his management team. Then, following his conviction, Disney and Marvel Studios severed ties with him. Majors had previously been attached to star in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) before his legal woes torpedoed his rise as a major player in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Majors was supposed to be sentenced last month but that date got postponed to April 8. He faces up to one year behind bars. He made his red carpet debut with Meagan Good this past weekend at the 55th NAACP Image Awards in downtown Los Angeles, where she told ET that she's happier than she's been in a long time.
Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good arrive at the 55th NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles, California.
"I am happy, you know? It's really crazy. I mean, so much is going on. These past two years have been a crazy two years for me, but I'm happier than I've been in a long time, even with all the crazy," Good said. "God is just doing incredible things and so, trust in God, in the journey, and I'm like, 'All right, Lord, what's next?'"
Majors joined Good mid-interview with ET and said that after his trial and public banishment by Disney and Marvel from his role as Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it is just good "to be seen" and to have the opportunity to support Good.
"It's incredible, it feels great. I love everything she does and I'm glad she's being acknowledged today," he noted.
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