Grace Jabbari v. Jonathan Majors - Intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation and malicious prosecution
Case Summary
Actor Jonathan Majors' ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari is suing him in federal court Tuesday. Three months after a New York City jury convicted him of assaulting and harassing her.
Jabbari, a British dancer who is alleging defamation, malicious prosecution, assault and battery in the Southern District of New York. The suit claims that Majors physically abused her several other times during their nearly two-year relationship, the first time in July 2022.
And she alleges in the lawsuit that since Majors was convicted in December, he has continued to attack her reputation.
“When publicly confronted with Grace’s numerous allegations of abuse, Majors has called her a liar at every turn and very specifically claimed that he has never put his hands on a woman, with the goal of convincing the world that Grace is not a victim of domestic abuse but instead a crazy liar who should be treated as such,” the lawsuit says.
In the court papers, Jabbari also alleges that Majors “has consistently engaged in an escalating pattern of abusive behavior towards women since as early as 2013.” Jabbari, who met Majors in 2021 on the set of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” did not identify who else he may have abused.
In February, two more of Majors’ ex-girlfriends, Emma Duncan and Maura Hooper, told The New York Times that he had physically and emotionally abused them, too. Those allegations span 2013 to 2019.
Majors, through his lawyer, denied that he had physically abused Duncan, and in response to emotional abuse allegations from Hooper, his lawyer told the Times, “Looking back, he is embarrassed by some of his jealous behavior.”
Marvel parted company with Majors, once a rising star in Hollywood, in December after he was convicted. Majors, who played supervillain Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel movie franchise, had been set to revisit the role in 2026’s “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.”
But, apparently in an attempt to salvage his acting career, Majors continued to deny harming Jabbari in an interview with ABC News in January and insisted that while he had witnessed domestic abuse, he had never done it himself. “I have never hit a woman,” Majors said. “I have never. My hands have never struck a woman. Ever.”
The violent episode that resulted in Majors’ being charged erupted, according to Manhattan prosecutors, in March 2023 after Jabbari spotted a text on his phone from a woman named Cleopatra while they were riding in a car from Brooklyn to Manhattan.
Prosecutors said Majors slapped Jabbari in the face and fractured the middle finger on one of her hands. And when Jabbari got out of the car, Majors threw her back inside “like a football,” they said. Majors denied striking Jabbari, and his lawyers contended he was the victim of a jilted lover who left him bloodied and who went club-hopping with three strangers after the alleged abusive encounter.
In the end, a nine-person jury found Majors guilty of harassment and misdemeanor assault, and he was scheduled to be sentenced in February. That date was postponed to April 8 after Chaudhry, his lawyer, filed a last-minute motion for the judge to overturn the verdict.
“Now that Majors can no longer physically abuse Grace, he has resorted to very publicly abusing her reputation,” her lawsuit says. “Following his arrest, Majors immediately implemented an extensive media campaign smearing Grace, claiming that he was ‘completely innocent,’ ‘is probably the victim,’ that he ‘did not assault her whatsoever,’ and that ‘this woman was having an emotional crisis, for which she was taken to a hospital’.”
Jabbari alleges in the lawsuit that Majors attacked her for the second time in September 2022, “this time causing serious injuries to her body.”
While in London, Majors allegedly threw Jabbari onto the hood of a car and covered her mouth when she cried out for help, according to the lawsuit. Then, after he took her back inside their home, Majors banged her “head against the marble floor while strangling her until she felt she could no longer breathe,” it claims.
“Soon after, Grace disclosed the physical abuse to a member of Jonathan’s management team in an effort to get him help,” the lawsuit says. “Majors was furious when he learned that Grace had outed him as an abuser.”
Majors tried to have Jabbari arrested for assault
Action by victim of Assault - An assault is an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on the person of another.
On a cause of action for malicious prosecution, the claimant must ultimately prove that (1) a criminal proceeding was commenced against him, (2) it was terminated in his/her favor, (3) the prosecution's case lacked probable cause, and (4) the proceeding was brought out of actual malice. Johnson v. State, 74 Misc. 3d 973, 165 N.Y.S.3d 661 (Ct. Cl. 2021)
Compensatory damages or actual are damages awarded by a court equivalent to the loss a party suffered. If a party's right was technically violated but they suffered no harm or losses, a court may instead grant nominal damages.
Jabbari, a British dancer who is alleging defamation, malicious prosecution, assault and battery in the Southern District of New York. The suit claims that Majors physically abused her several other times during their nearly two-year relationship, the first time in July 2022.
And she alleges in the lawsuit that since Majors was convicted in December, he has continued to attack her reputation.
“When publicly confronted with Grace’s numerous allegations of abuse, Majors has called her a liar at every turn and very specifically claimed that he has never put his hands on a woman, with the goal of convincing the world that Grace is not a victim of domestic abuse but instead a crazy liar who should be treated as such,” the lawsuit says.
In the court papers, Jabbari also alleges that Majors “has consistently engaged in an escalating pattern of abusive behavior towards women since as early as 2013.” Jabbari, who met Majors in 2021 on the set of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” did not identify who else he may have abused.
In February, two more of Majors’ ex-girlfriends, Emma Duncan and Maura Hooper, told The New York Times that he had physically and emotionally abused them, too. Those allegations span 2013 to 2019.
Majors, through his lawyer, denied that he had physically abused Duncan, and in response to emotional abuse allegations from Hooper, his lawyer told the Times, “Looking back, he is embarrassed by some of his jealous behavior.”
Marvel parted company with Majors, once a rising star in Hollywood, in December after he was convicted. Majors, who played supervillain Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel movie franchise, had been set to revisit the role in 2026’s “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.”
But, apparently in an attempt to salvage his acting career, Majors continued to deny harming Jabbari in an interview with ABC News in January and insisted that while he had witnessed domestic abuse, he had never done it himself. “I have never hit a woman,” Majors said. “I have never. My hands have never struck a woman. Ever.”
The violent episode that resulted in Majors’ being charged erupted, according to Manhattan prosecutors, in March 2023 after Jabbari spotted a text on his phone from a woman named Cleopatra while they were riding in a car from Brooklyn to Manhattan.
Prosecutors said Majors slapped Jabbari in the face and fractured the middle finger on one of her hands. And when Jabbari got out of the car, Majors threw her back inside “like a football,” they said. Majors denied striking Jabbari, and his lawyers contended he was the victim of a jilted lover who left him bloodied and who went club-hopping with three strangers after the alleged abusive encounter.
In the end, a nine-person jury found Majors guilty of harassment and misdemeanor assault, and he was scheduled to be sentenced in February. That date was postponed to April 8 after Chaudhry, his lawyer, filed a last-minute motion for the judge to overturn the verdict.
“Now that Majors can no longer physically abuse Grace, he has resorted to very publicly abusing her reputation,” her lawsuit says. “Following his arrest, Majors immediately implemented an extensive media campaign smearing Grace, claiming that he was ‘completely innocent,’ ‘is probably the victim,’ that he ‘did not assault her whatsoever,’ and that ‘this woman was having an emotional crisis, for which she was taken to a hospital’.”
Jabbari alleges in the lawsuit that Majors attacked her for the second time in September 2022, “this time causing serious injuries to her body.”
While in London, Majors allegedly threw Jabbari onto the hood of a car and covered her mouth when she cried out for help, according to the lawsuit. Then, after he took her back inside their home, Majors banged her “head against the marble floor while strangling her until she felt she could no longer breathe,” it claims.
“Soon after, Grace disclosed the physical abuse to a member of Jonathan’s management team in an effort to get him help,” the lawsuit says. “Majors was furious when he learned that Grace had outed him as an abuser.”
Case Information
Phone: 212-785-5550 E-mail: info@chaudhrylaw.com
Case No.: Case No. 1:24-cv-02048
Court Address:
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT,
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT,
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse
40 Foley Square
New York, NY 10007
Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse
40 Foley Square
New York, NY 10007
Judge: Hon. J. Paul Oetken
Plaintiff: Grace Jabbari represented by Brittany Henderson - Bradley Edwards
425 N. Andrews Ave., Suite 2
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
(954)-524-2820 Fax: (954)-524-2822
Email: brittany@cvlf.com brad@cvlf.com ecf@cvlf.com
425 N. Andrews Ave., Suite 2
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
(954)-524-2820 Fax: (954)-524-2822
Email: brittany@cvlf.com brad@cvlf.com ecf@cvlf.com
Defendant: Jonathan Majors represented by Priya Chaudhry 1
47 West 25th Street, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10001
Plaintiff's Case
Majors and his Lawyer Characterized Jabbari as Liar
- New York Magazine’s the Cut published an article wherein Jonathan Majors’ agent Priya Chaudhry discussed Grace's statements to the Police by saying, “Honestly, I don’t give a shit. . . The idea that I should coddle” Jabbari feels like suggesting “I should coddle the woman who accused Emmett Till.” Chaudhry went on to say, “You don’t want someone to be polite to the person lying about you.”
- Jonathan Majors publicly claimed that he did not hit Grace in the car, he did not break her finger, and he did not cause her any injuries during the incident that resulted in his conviction for assault.
- Jonathan called Jabbari a liar in an interview on January 8, 2024 stating, “I have never hit a woman. I have never. My hands have never struck a woman. Ever.”
On October 25, 2023, following NYPD protocol requirements, Grace reported to the Tenth Precinct to be “arrested,” where she was met with multiple reporters. It was then revealed that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office had declined to prosecute the case that Majors had tried to manufacture against Grace, citing a lack of prosecutorial merit. Majors and his counsel knowingly filed false charges, in an incredibly delayed criminal complaint against Grace. This was to paint Jabbari as a liar and Majors caused information regarding her impending arrest to be widely disseminated to the press internationally.
Causes of Action and prayer for judgment
Action by victim of Battery - Battery is an unlawful application of force directly or indirectly upon another person or their personal belongings, causing bodily injury or offensive contact.
Action by victim of Assault - An assault is an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on the person of another.
Intentional infliction of emotional distress Intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED) is a tort that occurs when one acts in a manner that intentionally or recklessly causes another to suffer severe emotional distress, such as issuing the threat of future harm.
- A successful claim must also clearly specify how the plaintiff suffered emotional distress as a result of defendant's alleged outrageous actions.
- Liability has been found only where the conduct has been so outrageous in character and so extreme in degree, as to go beyond all possible bounds of decency, and to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community.
- A complaint stating a cause of action for intentional infliction of emotional distress need not plead special damages nor allege that defendant's harmful acts were motivated by malice.
Malicious prosecution - Malicious prosecution refers to the act of filing a lawsuit against someone even though the case itself has no merit. It may lack merit because it lacks probable cause or because it has an improper purpose.
Defamation - Defamation is any false information that harms the reputation of a person, business, or organization. Defamation includes both libel and slander. Libel generally refers to defamatory statements that are published or broadcast.
- a false statement that tends to expose a person to public hatred, ridicule, aversion, or disgrace,
- published without privilege or authorization to a third party,
- mounting to fault as judged by, at a minimum, a negligence standard, and
- either causing special harm or constituting defamation per se.
- The plaintiff alleging a defamation claim under New York law must plead in complaint the particular words giving rise to her claim. Lore v. City of Syracuse, 2008, 583 F.Supp.2d 345.
Plaintiff demands judgment against the Defendant, for compensatory damages, punitive damages, and such other and further relief as this Court deems just and proper.
Definitions
Punitive damages are considered punishment or damages intended to dissuade and are typically awarded at the court's discretion when the defendant's behavior is found to be especially harmful.
%202023%20Block%20Party%20at%20Universal%20Studios%20Backlot%20on%20May%2020,%202023%20in%20Universal%20City,%20Los%20Angeles,%20California,%20United%20States.%20%E2%80%94%20Photo%20by%20imagepressagency.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment