Will Jonathan Majors Serve Time in Prison after Guilty Verdict? Lawyers Weigh In

While Jonathan Majors has been convicted of assault and harassment, members of the legal community believe the actor will get little to no jail time and may have grounds for an appeal.

A Manhattan jury found Majors guilty of 3rd-degree assault, recklessly causing physical injury, and 2nd-degree harassment, but acquitted him on two other counts of assault and aggravated harassment.

The actor, once a promising and fast-rising Hollywood star, was accused of assaulting his ex-partner, Grace Jabbari during a March domestic dispute in New York City.

The assault charge carries a maximum sentence of up to one year in jail, but several attorneys said they do not believe Majors will spend time behind bars. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 6. 

Meanwhile, other outside consequences have already begun to pile up for the actor. Shortly after the verdict was read, Marvel Studios dropped the actor as Kang the Conqueror from its upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe films. 

The trial was also a chance for Majors to try to prove his innocence after an onslaught of press in the lead-up and with Disney then hanging in the balance.

The charges stem from an incident on March 25, when Majors was riding in a car with Jabbari. She testified that she saw a text on Majors’ phone that read: “Oh how I wish to be kissing you” and grabbed the phone from Majors, who then pried her finger from the phone, grabbed her arm, and right hand, twisted her forearm and struck her head to get the phone away from her. 

She said he later threw her back into the car, which relates to the harassment violation. He was found not guilty of intentional assault in the third degree and not guilty of aggravated harassment in the second degree.

During the defense team’s cross-examination of Jabbari, they employed a line of questioning that Judge Michael Gaffey said “lacked specificity” and allowed the prosecution to bring in Molineux evidence, which is evidence of prior uncharged crimes, that he had previously been deemed inadmissible.

That evidence consisted of text messages Majors sent to Jabbari in September 2022 in which he appeared to dissuade her from seeking medical care related to an incident that was not specified.

“I fear you have no perspective of what could happen if you go to the hospital,” Majors wrote. “They will ask you questions and as I don’t think you actually protect us it could lead to an investigation even if you do lie and they suspect something.”

Jabbari texted that she would tell doctors she “bumped” her head, adding “Why would I tell them what really happened when it’s clear I want to be with you?””.

Legal experts think Majors will likely appeal the conviction, pointing to missteps by his defense team and the charges themselves, in a case that has already had several unusual steps along the way.

Another potential issue for appeal is the fact that Judge Michael Gaffey submitted two counts of assault, one intentional and one reckless, for jury deliberation. The jury found Majors guilty of reckless assault and acquitted him on the intentional charge.

However, an appeal would not only cost more time and money but would also bring more attention to details of the case, which have included allegations by Jabbari of his temper, as well as audio recordings of Majors telling her to act more like Michelle Obama and Coretta Scott King, that could prove more damaging to Majors’ reputation.