NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The actor Jonathan Majors appeared in court in New York on Wednesday for the start of jury selection in a trial in which he is accused of injuring his then-girlfriend during an argument last spring.
The trial could wind up playing a big role in what happens next with Majors, who had emerged as a breakout star with major roles in films including 鈥� 鈥� and who was being set up as the in the Marvel multiverse.
The 34-year-old actor entered a Manhattan courtroom alongside his current girlfriend, the actress Meagan Good, carrying a Bible and one of his . He did not speak during the start of the proceeding.
Majors was arrested over a confrontation between the actor and Grace Jabbari, his girlfriend at the time, during a car ride in Manhattan.
Prosecutors said Jabbari had grabbed a phone out of the actor's hand after seeing a text, presumably from another woman, saying 鈥淲ish I was kissing you right now.鈥� Majors tried to snatch the phone back.
Jabbari said the actor pulled her finger, twisted her arm behind her back and hit her face. After the couple's driver stopped the car and the pair got out, Jabbari said Majors threw her back into the vehicle. Police said Jabbari was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.
Majors鈥� attorneys have maintained that Jabbari was the aggressor during the fight and had scratched and hit him. They alleged on Wednesday that police who responded to the scene did not interview Majors and that Manhattan prosecutors have refused to review evidence showing he was the victim.
Jabbari was also briefly arrested by New York City police last month after Majors filed a cross complaint against her, but the district attorney鈥檚 office dropped all charges against her the next day.
On Wednesday, the judge, Michael Gaffey, described the brief arrest of Jabbari as 鈥渧ery unusual,鈥� suggesting that Majors鈥� celebrity status may have played a role in the police department鈥檚 decision to charge his accuser three months after the incident.
鈥淒id this only come about because of the high profile nature of the case?鈥� Gaffey asked the court. 鈥淚f this was an indigent, everyday New Yorker, would this arrest have happened?鈥�
Majors is charged with misdemeanors including assault and could be sentenced to up to a year in jail if convicted.
Before jury selection began Wednesday, attorneys for Majors successfully sought to bar the public and press from the courtroom in order to discuss evidence in the case that has not been made public. The attorney, Seth Zuckerman, warned the evidence could 鈥渢aint the jury pool beyond repair for Mr. Majors,鈥� adding that his client may face 鈥渢rial by newspaper.鈥�
Gaffey agreed, finding that the potentially 鈥渋nflammatory鈥� evidence should be discussed behind closed doors so that it would not be reported in the media prior to the start of the trial.
The Manhattan District Attorney did not take a position on the matter. An attorney hired to represent the press, Katherine Bolger, opposed the move to seal evidence, noting that the public had a right to know the evidence in the case.
Majors starred in the Marvel TV series 鈥淟oki" and the film 鈥淎nt-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania,鈥� and was awaiting the release of another star vehicle, 鈥淢agazine Dreams,鈥� which is now in limbo.
He is known for carrying a coffee cup on the red carpet and to media interviews, one of four he rotates through, as a symbol of his mother鈥檚 long-ago advice: 鈥淒on鈥檛 let anyone fill up your cup.鈥�
Jake Offenhartz, The Associated Press
