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Jonathan Majors appeared in a Manhattan court Tuesday to face charges of assault and harassment stemming from his arrest back in March, a case his attorney is calling a racially biased “witch hunt.”
The 33-year-old “Creed III” actor attended the hearing via Zoom and only spoke to confirm he consented to appear virtually and not in person, according to PEOPLE.
In a statement obtained by The Shade Room, attorney Priya Chaudry called the assault case against the actor a victim of a racially-biased “witch hunt.”
She also stated that they provided the District Attorney with “irrefutable evidence” that the victim in the case is lying, “including video proof showing nothing happened,” Chaudry said.
“We have provided the District Attorney with irrefutable evidence that the woman is lying, including video proof showing nothing happened, especially not where she claimed. We did this with the explicit promise from the DA that they would not ‘fix’ their case and change it as we proved the woman is lying…”
Chaudry claims that the victim in the case has changed her story several times and argued that her “location shifts” and “her story morphs” as the case has progressed.
“Yet this false case continues, the woman’s claimed location shifts, and her story morphs. This is a witch hunt against Jonathan Majors, driven by baseless claims.”
Chaudry went on to accuse the district attorney of “adjusting the charges to match the woman’s new lies” and made it clear there are no new charges against him. According to AP News, the court has issued a “revised domestic violence charge” against the actor.
“Instead of dismissing the allegations in the face of the woman’s clear lies, the DA has adjusted the charges to match the woman’s new lies. To be clear, there are no new charges against Mr. Majors.”
Majors’ attorney added that although they say they have “even more” video evidence of his innocence, they are hesitant to share it out of “fear the DA will tip the woman off to change her story again.”
Chaudry went on to call her MCU star client a victim of racial bias and called out a perceived “double standard between the treatment of Majors… and his accuser.
“The criminal justice system is saturated with explicit and implicit bias…” Chaudry wrote. “This glaring double standard between the treatment of Jonathan Majors, a Black man weighing 200 lbs, and his accuser, highlights the racial bias that permeates the criminal justice system.”
Majors was arrested on March 25, 2023, in Manhattan on misdemeanor charges of strangulation, assault, and harassment in a reported domestic dispute with his girlfriend.
In an updated complaint obtained by The Daily Beast, the woman states that the incident began at around 12:40 a.m. in downtown Manhattan. That’s when Majors reportedly pulled her “right middle finger causing bruising, swelling, and substantial pain.”
“I further observed [Majors] grab my right arm, place it behind my body, and use his hands to twist my right forearm and right middle finger, causing substantial pain to my right forearm and right middle finger. I further observed [Majors] strike me with his hand across my right ear causing substantial pain and a laceration behind my right ear.”
The alleged victim says that Majors pushed her into a car with “both of his hands,” causing her to fall backward. Prosecutors had previously argued the incident left her with “minor injuries to her head and neck.”
As The Shade Room reported last month, Majors’ alleged victim was granted a temporary restraining order in the weeks leading to their court date Tuesday (May 9). According to The Hollywood Reporter, Majors must continue to abide by the order and refrain from contacting the accuser.
According to the actor’s lawyer, the action is “standard in cases such as this.” Furthermore, the attorney explained that Majors’ legal team “consented because Mr. Majors wants nothing to do with the woman who assaulted him.”
Furthermore, the actor could be imprisoned for up to a year if found guilty of a charge unveiled this morning in his domestic violence case, according to the Hollywood Handle.
Thus far, Majors has reportedly been dropped by his talent manager Entertainment 360, his second recent setback representation-wise, after the Lede Company initiated a break on representing the Avengers actor last month. Additionally, Majors and fashion house Valentino reportedly “mutually agreed” that the actor would not attend this year’s Met Gala as one of its guests.
The actor’s next court hearing has been set for June 13. According to AP News, Majors must attend in person. Otherwise, a warrant can be issued for his arrest.
