The hearing concluded in less than 10 minutes without selecting a jury. Instead, prosecutors asked for more time to collect and review evidence in their case against Majors, who was arrested in March on misdemeanor charges for allegedly assaulting and harassing his prior girlfriend Grace Jabbari.
“The people are not ready for trial today,” Assistant District Attorney Kelli Galaway told Judge Michael Gaffey, who ordered the proceedings to resume Sept. 6.
Majors, 33, is charged with misdemeanors of assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault and harassment after what New York police called a “domestic dispute” with Jabbari earlier this year. A fifth charge, for strangulation, was later dropped.
Jabbari “sustained minor injuries to her head and neck and was removed to a hospital in stable condition,” the NYPD said in a subsequent statement. She was later granted a temporary protection order against Majors, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Majors’s attorney Priya Chaudhry has said he is “provably innocent” and shared text messages with TMZ and other news outlets that she said show Jabbari was at fault in the fight. The Washington Post has not verified the texts. The actor has pleaded not guilty but had not spoken publicly about the case. When the judge reminded him of his restraining order Thursday, Majors leaned into the microphone and responded, “Yes, sir.”
If convicted of the charges, Majors could face up to a year in jail. A conviction would also force Marvel to decide what to do with at least three upcoming projects in which the actor plays several versions of the multiverse-hopping villain Nathaniel Richards, which he first portrayed in February’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
Also known for his portrayal as Atticus Freeman in the horror sci-fi series “Lovecraft Country,” Majors was reportedly dropped by his management and PR firm after his arrest. He still appears in promotional material for Marvel, including a trailer for Season 2 of the TV series “Loki,” which has been viewed 80 million times since it was released three days before the trial.