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The sentencing of Jonathan Majors has been moved up to April, with the potential of one year in jail for the actor looming as a possibility.
On Tuesday (Feb. 6), Judge Michael Gaffey informed the legal team defending actor Jonathan Majors and the prosecution that he expects Majors to be present in court April 8 to hear his sentence, Deadline reported. Majors was convicted Dec. 18, 2023, on the charges of reckless assault and harassment of his former girlfriend, Grace Jabbari.
The Creed III actor, originally slated to appear in person, appeared virtually in court. The delay in the sentencing was due to the defense filing a motion to set aside the verdict. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has until March 5 to respond to the motion, known as a “330.30 motion,” referencing New York State criminal law. It’s considered a long-shot filing by legal observers.
The motion, which consists of 41 pages, was made public Wednesday (Feb. 9), according to Business Insider. In it, the actor is seeking for the verdict to be put aside citing two factors: a lack of sufficient evidence concerning the reckless assault and harassment charges and a reversible judicial error with regards to the charge of reckless assault.
Priya Chaudhry, Majors’ lead defense attorney, claims that prosecutors “bookended the trial with loud accusations of a deliberate pattern of intentional bad conduct by Mr. Majors,” also claiming that Judge Gaffney improperly gave jurors a choice of charging that Majors injured Jabbari intentionally or recklessly.
A spokesperson for Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg sent a statement to the press, saying: “The Court has already heard and rejected the arguments supporting this motion when the defense originally raised them during the trial. The jury then convicted Mr. Majors of Assault in the 3rd Degree and Harassment in the 2nd Degree. We will respond in detail in court papers.”
The once highly sought-after actor, who was fired by Marvel as the face of Kang the Conqueror after the verdict came down, faces one year in prison for the charges. Judge Gaffney said that he intended to make a ruling on the case by April 1 before adjourning.
