Jonathan Majors assault case: Judge rejects motion to dismiss case

LOS ANGELES: Hollywood actor Jonathan Majors will face a trial on domestic abuse charges after a New York judge denied the motion to dismiss the case.

The trial date is set to begin on November 29. Majors appeared in a lower Manhattan courtroom via Zoom because he is out of state, reports Variety. During the hearing, his defence attorneys filed a motion to request that “contested evidence” remain under seal and barred from public view due to the “high profile” nature of the case and allegations against Majors.

Defence attorney Seth Zuckerman told Judge Michael Gaffey that he believes “the disclosure of sensitive information will limit Mr Majors’ right to a fair trial.”

As per Variety, the judge did not yet rule on the motion and told reporters in the room they could submit papers to oppose it by November 6.

Following the decision, a spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office issued a statement saying: “We look forward to presenting our case at trial.”

The actor was arrested in Manhattan on March 25 and charged with assault and aggravated harassment after an alleged domestic dispute with his girlfriend at the time, Grace Jabbari.

Variety further states that Majors has pleaded not guilty to the four charges levelled against him.

If convicted of misdemeanour charges of harassment and assault, he faces up to one year in jail. Prior to the hearing, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office filed a 115-page response to the actor’s motion to dismiss the case. The document alleges that Majors’ legal team has leaked and misrepresented court evidence, as well as attempted to have police create a wanted poster with Jabbari’s photo.