MANHATTAN (CN) — A New York city judge on Monday morning sentenced “Creed III” actor Jonathan Majors to one year of domestic violence counseling on assault and harassment charges in connection to an altercation with his then-girlfriend in Lower Manhattan last spring.
A New York City jury found him guilty on two counts last December in a split verdict that cleared the “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” star on two counts — assault in the third degree with intent to cause physical injury, and a count of aggravated harassment — but convicted him on two lesser charges: one count of assault in the third degree recklessly causing physical injury, and one count of harassment in the second degree.
Finding that “jail is not necessary” based on the actor’s lack of a criminal record, Manhattan Criminal Court Justice Michael Gaffey ordered Majors to complete 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling and imposed a full order of protection against his ex-girlfriend.
While Majors faced up to one year in prison on the conviction, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office did not request a sentence of incarceration, asking for a sentence of time served conditioned on completion of a batterers intervention program.
Prosecutors asked for either a 26-week domestic violence program in New York City or a one-year long counseling program in California, where Majors resides.
Citing a “complete lack of remorse and pattern of abuse,” Assistant District Attorney Kelli Galaway told the judge Majors “will reoffend without serious intervention.”
Majors maintains his innocence and plans to appeal his conviction.
He declined to make a statement at the sentencing hearing and his lawyers tailored their remarks due to a pending civil case in federal court.
Majors wore an all-black suit to the hearing, and individually greeted his supporters in the first couple of rows of the courtroom gallery.
The criminal trial in Manhattan Supreme Court last year centered on allegations brought by Grace Jabbari, a 30-year-old British dancer and choreographer who claimed the actor hit her on the side of the head, bent her arm behind her back and squeezed her finger until it broke during a domestic altercation on the night of March 25, 2023, sparked by evidence of his apparent infidelity.
At trial, Majors’ defense painted Jabbari, who is white, as the aggressor who drunkenly instigated the fight and later chased the Black actor around the SoHo neighborhood.
Jabbari attended the sentencing hearing on Monday, where she read a brief victim impact statement in which she said Majors “remains a danger to those around him.”
“I have seen his physical anger and he does not have control over it,” she said. “He has not accepted responsibility and he will do this again — he will hurt other women.”
In the days following the trial verdict, Marvel studios dropped Majors from the blockbuster comic book franchise. He had been set to reprise his role as the supervillain Kang the Conqueror in future Marvel Cinematic Universe movies “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” (2026) and “Avengers: Secret Wars” (2027).
Majors’ attorney Priya Choudhry said she is “optimistic” that he will soon return to working in the film industry and asked the judge to consider granting accommodations so that he could complete his required counseling remotely while on set.
He did not make any public statements as he exited the courthouse following sentencing.
The outcome of Majors' trial is similar to a plea deal that the Manhattan District Attorney's office reached with actor Cuba Gooding Jr. to resolve serial nightclub groping charges. The "Jerry Maguire" star pleaded guilty to a lesser noncriminal violation, and was ordered to complete six months of alcohol and behavior modification counseling.
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