Jonathan Majors Exits Criminal Court in NYC on December 8, 2023

Jonathan Majors Trial Day 8: Driver Brands Grace Jabbari As The Aggressor, Says She 'Hit' The Actor

Home / Yahoo / Jonathan Majors Trial Day 8: Driver Brands Grace Jabbari As The Aggressor, Says She 'Hit' The Actor

By Favour Adegoke on December 11, 2023 at 9:01 PM EST
Updated on December 12, 2023 at 11:32 AM EST

Marvel star Jonathan Majors' trial has entered the second week with a new round of witnesses taking the stand after his ex-girlfriend and accuser Grace Jabbari testified for four consecutive days last week.

In today's hearing, the driver of the vehicle where the alleged assault took place branded Jabbari as the aggressor in the altercation between the former couple. Other witnesses from today's hearing included two of the three individuals whom Jabbari met on the street on the night of the incident.

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The testimonies come after scathing text messages from September last year were read in court. The messages seemed to cast a bad light on Majors as they revealed a moment when the actor pleaded with Jabbari to avoid going to a hospital after seemingly suffering a head wound. Majors also threatened his ex with suicide over the same incident.

Amid the ongoing trials, Jabbari has also had her own fair share of eyebrow-raising moments, with the most shocking being footage of her nightclub outing after the alleged fight with Majors on March 25.

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Driver Claims Jonathan Majors Was Trying To 'Get Rid' Of Grace Jabbari

Jonathan Majors Exits Criminal Court in NYC on December 8, 2023
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According to the driver who witnessed the fight between Jabbari and Majors, the actor's ex-girlfriend was the aggressor in the situation—identified as Naveed Sarwar, the driver of the vehicle testified on Monday with the aid of an Urdu interpreter.

While speaking in court, Sarwar said he was hired as the "Loki" actor's private driver. He was responsible for driving the couple to the Brooklyn Academy of Music and, subsequently, to a restaurant for dinner.

Sarwar noted that the former couple seemed to be "good" with each other earlier in the day until the evening when Jabbari noticed a text message on Majors' phone, which got her "angry" and eventually caused the pair to start arguing.

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"I was feeling something was going on in the backseat," Sarwar told the court, per Variety. "When I reached at Canal and Centre Street, [Majors] wanted to get rid of [Jabbari] and he opened the door…I saw they were fighting when the car stopped. He was trying to get rid of her."

Footage from the night was played in court, and it showed Majors' fight with Jabbari, their exit from Sarwar's vehicle, and when the 30-year-old dancer encountered three strangers on the street.

"He was trying to throw her in the car," Sarwar stated. "I do remember [Majors] was pushing her back into the car to get rid of her."

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Grace Jabbari Hit Jonathan Majors During Their Fight, Driver Claims

Jonathan Majors Exits Criminal Court in NYC on December 8, 2023
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Since Majors' arrest, his lawyers have maintained that Jabbari was the instigator and aggressor in their fight. They have also implied that there's a racial bias in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, hinting that the prosecution is against the "Antman and The Wasp: Quantumania" actor because he is a Black man.

Now, during Sarwar's testimony, he seemingly backed up the actor's attorneys' claims by alleging that Jabbari hit Majors in his vehicle. At this point, the presiding judge, Judge Michael Gaffey, cautioned him only to recount what he saw happen that night.

"[Jabbari] was yelling at [Majors] and they were having an argument. I had a feeling [Jabbari] had hit [Majors] earlier, the way she was fighting and the sounds produced," Sarwar told the court.

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In June, Priya Chaudhry, one of Majors' lawyers, filed a countersuit against his accuser, which led to a police investigation. Once the investigation began, Jabbari was reportedly very cooperative and even turned herself into police custody.

The DA's office has since stated that it has "officially declined to prosecute the case against Grace Jabbari because it lacks prosecutorial merit." However, the first of Judge Gaffey's rulings means that the jurors will still be informed about her arrest.

Grace Jabbari Was 'Visibly Upset,' Said Her Finger Was Hurting

Jonathan Majors Arrives To Criminal Court in NYC on December 4, 2023
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Besides Majors' driver, two of the three strangers who came across Jabbari testified in court on Monday. The individuals, identified as Chloe Zoller and Max Manning, shared their recollections of the night when they met a distraught Jabbari on the street.

Zoller told the court that Jabbari looked "visibly upset" when she saw her outside but did not notice any injuries on Jabbari at the time. However, after getting into the nightclub, Jabbari complained that she felt pain in her finger, to which Zoller responded by handing her some ice from a drink bucket to apply to the finger.

While being treated at the Bellevue Hospital for a broken middle finger and a cut behind her ear, Jabbari stated that she had an argument with her boyfriend and had ingested sleeping medications.

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Dr. William K. Chiang, who treated Jabbari, revealed that she had suffered a non-displaced fracture in her right middle finger that was probably caused by direct trauma.

The two-centimeter-long cut behind her right ear was consistent with hitting or being hit by a sharp object. Jabbari was also treated psychiatrically and, according to Dr. Chiang, was cleared of "any concern for suicide or severe depression."

Jonathan Majors & Grace Jabbari's Text Exchange From The Last Hearing

Jonathan Majors At 5th American Black Film Festival Honors: A Celebration Of Excellence In Hollywood
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The latest witness hearing comes after scathing text messages from an incident in September were read in court on Friday last week.

In the old text exchange, Majors seemingly pleaded with Jabbari to not go to the hospital to treat a head injury, claiming it would lead to a police investigation even if she told a "lie."

"I fear you have no perspective of what could happen if you go to the hospital," the actor told Jabbari in the text. "They will ask you questions, and as I don't think you actually protect us, it could lead to an investigation even if you do lie, and they suspect something."

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To this, Jabbari responded, "I will tell the doctor I bumped my head if I go. I'm going to give it one more day, but I can't sleep and I need some stronger painkillers. That's all: why would I tell them what really happened when it's clear I want to be with you?"

The actor then proceeded to threaten suicide, noting Jabbari's insistence to go to a hospital. He also emphasized that he "should kill" himself because Jabbari refused to hug him after the alleged incident.

The trial is set to continue tomorrow. Majors has since pleaded not guilty to the three misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment he has been charged with. He could face at least one year in prison if found guilty.

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