The Manhattan District Attorney on Tuesday revealed new details into the domestic dispute where actor Jonathan Majors allegedly pushed a woman into a car—as his lawyers hurl a new accusation.
Majors was arrested on March 25 after he allegedly “struck, shoved, kicked,” and otherwise harmed a woman during a dispute in New York. In the updated complaint, the woman states that the incident began at around 12:40 a.m. in downtown Manhattan when Majors allegedly pulled her “right middle finger causing bruising, swelling, and substantial pain.”
“I further observed [Majors] grab my right arm, place it behind my body, and use his hands to twist my right forearm and right middle finger, causing substantial pain to my right forearm and right middle finger,” the woman said, according to the complaint. “I further observed [Majors] strike me with his hand across my right ear causing substantial pain and a laceration behind my right ear.”
The woman added that Majors also pushed her into a car with “both of his hands,” calling her to fall backward. Prosecutors previously said the incident left her with “minor injuries to her head and neck.”
The latest alleged details about the attack came just moments after the Lovecraft Country actor appeared via Zoom for his Manhattan state court appearance. Majors faces misdemeanor charges of assault in the third degree; aggravated harassment in the second degree; attempted assault in the third degree; and harassment in the second degree.
After the brief hearing, Major’s lawyer Priya Chaudhry stressed in a statement to The Daily Beast that her client is innocent—and insisted that the case is a “witch hunt against Jonathan Majors, driven by baseless claims.”
“Instead of dismissing the allegations in the face of the woman’s clear lies, the DA has adjusted the charges to match the woman’s new lies,” Chaudhry said.
The lawyer then argued that Majors was the true victim the night of the assault. She alleged that when Majors showed the responding officer his injuries the night of the incident, the officer got into the actor’s face “and taunted him, saying that if the officer were to slap Mr. Majors, the officer wouldn’t break his finger.”
“None of the white officers present investigated the assault of Mr. Majors. Worse, the District Attorney has not indicated any intention to pursue charges against the woman, or even investigate the truth,” the lawyer stated. “This glaring double standard between the treatment of Jonathan Majors, a Black man weighing 200 lbs, and his accuser, highlights the racial bias that permeates the criminal justice system.”
Chaudhry provided no further details into this alleged officer-related incident and the District Attorney’s office declined to comment.
Since his arrest, Majors’ legal team has released a flurry of evidence related to the incident they claim proves that the Creed III actor is innocent, including surveillance video of the victim allegedly at a club after the alleged assault. Majors’ lawyer has also insisted that her client called the police on the day of his arrest out of concern for his accuser’s “mental health.” Chaudhry released text messages that she said provided context and cleared Majors of the March 25 incident.
“They assured me that you won’t be charged,” an unnamed sender writes in one of the messages. “They said they had to arrest you as per protocol when they saw the injuries on me and they knew we had a fight.”
Another text reads: “I told them it was my fault for trying to grab your phone. I only just got out of the hospital.” The last of the alleged messages denies that strangulation took place but also describes the sender as “collapsing and passing out.”
Chaudhry hinted Tuesday that her team has obtained more video evidence to prove Majors’ innocence, but is hesitant to share it out of fear the District Attorney will allow the woman “to change her story.”
Since his arrest, Majors’ career has seemingly plummeted. His management and PR firm fired him, as did a number of upcoming productions and campaigns. Last month, Variety also reported that an undisclosed number of additional alleged abuse survivors were cooperating with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office last month granted a full temporary order of protection to Majors’ alleged victim—a decision Chaudhry slammed as “disturbing.” A District Attorney spokesperson said on April 27 a judge granted the victim the temporary order at the government’s request “and with the consent of the defense counsel.”
