Marvel actor Jonathan Majors confidently strode into Manhattan court Friday in a floor-length dark coat and snappy fedora to watch prosecutors and his lawyers tussle over what evidence should be shown at his upcoming domestic-assault trial.
Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Michael Gaffey eventually ruled that Majors’ lawyers can question his accuser and now-ex-girlfriend, British dancer and movement coach Grace Jabbari, at trial over what Gaffey has called Jabbari’s “unusual” own arrest in the case — which occurred in October, months after her March incident with Majors.
The actor’s expected two-week-trial is slated to kick off Monday morning with opening statements.
Gaffey had said Thursday that the 34-year-old actor’s lawyers could only mention Jabbari’s arrest — which had been immediately thrown out by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
But the judge added Friday that he would allow the “Loki” star’s lawyers to actually cross-examine Jabbari about her dismissed case, despite a prosecutor’s claim that telling jurors about would improperly muddy the case.
“It’s just going to confuse the jury,” Assistant District Attorney Kelli Galloway argued.
Judge Gaffey has called Jabbari’s arrest “unusual” because accusers in alleged domestic-violence cases are not typically arrested months following an incident, after the defendant files a report with police. The jurist also suggested at a separate hearing this week that Jabbari’s arrest may not have happened if the case had involved “an indigent everyday New Yorker.”
The “Creed III” star is charged with misdemeanor assault and harassment after allegedly attacking Jabbari during a March 25 taxi ride in Chinatown after she saw a text on his phone that read, “I wish I was kissing you right now,” court papers say.
Jabbari, 30, is expected to testify that Majors assaulted her after she grabbed his phone to see who sent the message — which presumably came from another woman.
Majors has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which have threatened to derail his career as a rising Hollywood star who has starred as Kang The Conqueror in Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp” franchise.
Majors appeared very engaged during Friday’s pre-trial hearing, nodding several times at the judge as if to show that he agreed with certain statements and chatting with his lawyers, Priya Chaudhry and Seth Zuckerman.
He occasionally took a sip of water from his ceramic cup or glanced inside his gold-leaf Bible, both of which he’s brought with him to previous court appearances.
When leaving court for the lunch break, Majors, who has not spoken publicly about the incident since his arrest, was asked by a reporter to identify a specific Bible verse that would best describe his situation. He stopped for a moment to consider the question, then shook his head.