DA tweaks Jonathan Majors' charge, lawyer says he's innocent

Actor Jonathan Majors now faces a misdemeanor assault charge stemming from a March incident in Manhattan, according to the district attorney's office. Credit: AP / Richard Shotwell
Actor Jonathan Majors was confronted Tuesday with a revised domestic violence charge stemming from a woman’s allegations that the Marvel star twisted her arm, struck her head and shoved her into a vehicle in New York City in March.
Majors, appearing by video, did not enter a plea to the misdemeanor assault charge and said little else at the arraignment, which lasted all of three minutes.
Prosecutors say the charge was rewritten to reflect the perspective of Majors' 30-year-old accuser, rather than the police officer whose account was used in the original version — an indication she is cooperating with authorities.
Majors, 33, still faces other misdemeanor charges in connection with his March 25 arrest in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, some of which are punishable by up to a year in jail.
His lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, says Majors is innocent. She criticized prosecutors after Tuesday’s hearing for pursuing what she called a “witch hunt” against the actor.
Chaudhry said she provided the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office with “irrefutable evidence that the woman is lying, including video proof showing nothing happened, especially not where she claimed.” The woman, she said, assaulted Majors.
“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.
Majors had been a fast-rising Hollywood star with big roles in recent hits like “Creed III” and “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.” But in the wake of his arrest, the U.S. Army pulled TV commercials narrated by Majors, saying it was “deeply concerned” by the allegations.
Majors' face was beamed Tuesday onto a flat-screen monitor in front of the judge’s bench in Manhattan’s domestic violence courtroom. The room was crowded with reporters straining to catch a glimpse of the celebrity.
A message seeking comment on Chaudhry’s allegations was left with the NYPD and Manhattan District Attorney's Office.