Jonathan Majors' ex filed a defamation lawsuit against the actor, saying his lies about her prompted death threats

Jonathan Majors' attorney told Business Insider that the Marvel actor is preparing counterclaims against Grace Jabbari.

• Jonathan Majors' ex-girlfriend has filed a defamation lawsuit against the actor. 
• Majors was convicted of reckless assault and harassment related to a 2023 fight with Grace Jabbari.
• Jabbari alleges in the suit that Majors' depiction of her as a liar has prompted death threats. 

Jonathan Majors' ex-girlfriend has filed a defamation lawsuit against the embattled actor, alleging that his false denial of assaulting her and his depiction of her as a liar has prompted death threats against her.

Majors, known for his work on Marvel films, was convicted by a Manhattan jury in December on misdemeanor charges of reckless assault and harassment in connection to a March 2023 fight with his ex, Grace Jabbari, in the back seat of a chauffeured car in New York City.

In a federal lawsuit filed in Manhattan on Tuesday, Jabbari's attorneys accused the "Creed III" actor of making defamatory statements about Jabbari both before and after three-week trial.

The comments were made "intending for his celebrity, wide social media following, and the public interest in his arrest to cause the public to accept his statements as fact and believe Grace was lying," the lawyers wrote.

Majors' attorney Priya Chaudhry told Business Insider in response to the lawsuit: "This is no surprise. Mr. Majors is preparing counterclaims against Ms. Jabbari."

The lawsuit says Majors' "intention was not only to cause many people to believe Jabbari was a liar but also to cause those people to lash out, harass, intimidate, and bully Jabbari. Majors also intended his defamatory statements to adversely affect Jabbari's career."

The lawsuit says that Majors' "defamatory statements have had the intended effect on an international scale."

"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 states.

Majors' 'brazen defamation' sparked death threats, the suit says

Lawyers for Jabbari said that the "brazen defamation" has prompted people to "harass, bully, intimidate and even issue death threats" to Jabbari, causing her "extreme fear."

During Majors' domestic abuse trial, Jabbari — a dance instructor from the UK who met Majors in 2021 on the set of Marvel's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" — testified about his alleged explosive and controlling behavior.

She broke down on the witness stand multiple times as she recounted the March 25 fight that prosecutors said left her with a broken finger.

"Now that Majors can no longer physically abuse Grace, he has resorted to very publicly abusing her reputation," Jabbari's lawsuit says.

The lawsuit cites an interview Majors gave to ABC News following his conviction, in which he said, "I know I did not place my hands and strike that woman. It never happened."

"Following his arrest, Majors immediately implemented an extensive media campaign smearing Grace, claiming that he was 'completely innocent,' 'is provably 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,'" says the lawsuit.

Majors, the lawsuit alleges, "went on to behave as many domestic abusers do by attempting to blame his victim" and "campaigning" for the Manhattan district attorney to "initiate proceedings against Ms. Jabbari."

Jabbari was arrested over Majors' allegation of misdemeanor assault in November, but Manhattan prosecutors ultimately dropped all charges.

"Consistent with his pattern of intimidating Grace, Majors filed the knowingly false criminal complaint and immediately disseminated the news to national and international media outlets in an effort to use his fame to cause the public to lash out against Grace and inflict on Grace extreme emotional distress," the lawsuit says.

In addition to defamation, Jabbari's lawsuit against Majors alleges assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and malicious prosecution.

The lawsuit, seeking trial by jury, details additional allegations of assault, for which he was not criminally charged.

The lawsuit accuses Majors of pushing Jabbari so hard during a September 2022 incident that her back was bruised. When she tried to leave the house, Majors threw her against the hood of a car, lawyers said in the lawsuit.

"Grace began shouting for help," the lawyers wrote. "Majors then forcefully grabbed Grace, placing her in a headlock and put his hand over her mouth to prevent someone from hearing her cries for help."

"He brought Grace back into their house and held his hands around her neck, stating that he wanted to kill her, and that he was going to kill her. Majors then started hitting Grace's head against the marble floor while strangling her until she felt she could no longer breathe," the lawsuit alleges.

Majors recently filed a motion seeking to void his December domestic violence conviction. He faces up to one year behind bars at a sentencing set for April 8.