Jury selection began Thursday in the misdemeanor assault trial of Creed III star Jonathan Majors in New York City.
Majors entered the courtroom holding girlfriend Meagan Good's hand and carrying a bible.
Prospective jurors are seated in the courtroom as selection of six jurors and two alternates is underway. Majors watched as each of them entered and turned in his chair to glance at the faces in the crowd.
He stood, clasped his hands and bowed his head toward the prospective jurors as the judge introduced him.
One woman raised her hand when the judge asked if anyone was familiar with those in the courtroom. She identified the actor but was not automatically dismissed.
One other development Thursday morning was that defense attorneys learned they will be allowed to tell the jury that the alleged victim, Majors' ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari, was arrested by the New York Police Department last month — even though the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office declined to prosecute her.
Majors has filed a cross-complaint against Jabbari, and the defense said her arrest is "part and parcel" of its case.
"There is no case law the People have cited that prevents the defense from asking Ms. Jabbari about her actions that night," defense attorney Seth Zuckerman said.
Prosecutors had asked the judge to preclude the defense from discussing Jabbari's arrest.
Majors was arrested in March, after officers responded to a 911 call in Manhattan for an alleged domestic dispute. Jabbari was treated at a hospital for minor neck and head injuries, including a cut to her ear, police said.
Majors' attorney Priya Chaudhry had claimed the Loki actor was the one who was assaulted and described him as "the real victim in this shameful ordeal."