New York actor Jonathan Majors is set to be sentenced next week after a judge denied the defense's motion to set aside the assault and harassment convictions against him. On December 18 last year, a jury found the Creed III actor guilty, and Judge Michael Gaffey's recent ruling affirms those verdicts.

Majors' sentencing is scheduled for April 8, and he potentially faces up to a year behind bars. The actor's top lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, did not provide any comment on the judge's decision. The Manhattan District Attorney's office declined to comment as well.

In his decision, Judge Gaffey addressed each objection raised by the defense. He disagreed with the argument that Majors' conviction of reckless assault in the third degree should be set aside due to a court error in submitting the count to the jury. The judge emphasized that the count was presented as an alternate theory, rather than a lesser included offense.

The judge also dismissed the defense's claim that the court should not have submitted the reckless assault count to the jury without a justification charge. He stated that the argument was not preserved and thus unable to be considered by the court. However, the defense may request the Appellate Term to evaluate whether the court should have included the justification charge or if the trial counsel was ineffective in not requesting it.

Judge Gaffey further concluded that the trial evidence was legally sufficient to establish Majors' guilt of harassment in the second degree. He highlighted that the evidence clearly demonstrated that Majors subjected his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari to physical contact, allowing the jury to reasonably infer his intent from the surrounding circumstances.

With Majors' career in disarray, the ruling comes almost a month after Jabbari sued him for defamation. Majors' lawyers previously stated that they planned to file counterclaims but have not yet done so.

Majors was arrested on March 25, 2023, following the alleged assault on Jabbari in New York City. He faced a total of four misdemeanor charges, but the jury acquitted him of intentional assault in the third degree and aggravated harassment in the second degree. Throughout the trial, Majors maintained his innocence and claimed to be the victim of abuse by Jabbari and racism by the NYPD.

Despite his conviction, Majors appeared at the 7th Annual AAFCA Special Achievement Awards luncheon last month with Harlem actress Meagan Good, seemingly undeterred by the legal proceedings. However, professionally, Majors has faced significant setbacks, with his management and PR firms dropping him, and the release of his film "Magazine Dreams" being shelved. Marvel also cut ties with him, canceling his role as Kang the Conqueror in the expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. Nevertheless, Majors' agency, WME, has remained supportive so far.