Jury selection begins for New York City assault trial of Marvel actor Jonathan Majors
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Jury selection starts Wednesday morning in the domestic assault trial of "Loki" actor Jonathan Majors, charged with attacking his girlfriend during a car ride in Chelsea last March -- a rare misdemeanor case going to trial as the actor fights to prove his innocence and to salvage his reputation.
The actor, 33, is facing misdemeanor charges of assault and harassment and could spend up to a year in jail if convicted.
Normally defendants plead guilty to misdemeanors to avoid a serious jail time, but the actor and his attorney have aggressively disputed the case, claiming his accuser is a liar who attacked him.
Majors filed a cross complaint against her, and she was briefly held police custody last month until the Manhattan District Attorneys Office "officially declined to prosecute" because Majors' version "lacks prosecutorial merit."
The start of the trial has been delayed by repeated legal maneuverings, but all indications are it will start Wednesday, barring more last minute developments.
Prosecutors have built a case that could take days or weeks to present. They plan to call several former girlfriends to testify about their experiences with Majors. The judge will evaluate whether that testimony will be allowed.
The accuser is also expected to testify. It is unclear if Majors will take the stand in his own defense.
Majors' defense will focus on his ex-girlfriend. Along with claiming she started the fight, lawyer Priya Chaudhry says the woman went out clubbing following the confrontation, and then threatened to harm herself. Defense also says their driver never saw Majors strike her, but prosecutors say the driver never said that.
The case basically revolves around a backseat scuffle between the two over Majors' phone after the girlfriend saw a text that she believed was from another woman. She grabbed for the phone, and prosecutors say Majors assaulted her while grabbing it back, twisting her forearm, striking her right ear and after she got out the vehicle, throwing her back into it.
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