Jonathan Majors was found guilty of assaulting and harassing his former girlfriend Grace Jabbari in a split verdict by a jury on Monday.
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Majors faces up to a year in jail when he is sentenced on Feb. 6. What happens next? PEOPLE spoke with Brett Ward, a partner at Blank Rome, and Kate Mangels, a litigation partner at Kinsella Holley, both of whom are not connected to the case.
“I would say that it's highly unlikely that he does any type of significant time,” says Ward. While misdemeanors are punishable by "up to a year in prison" in New York, he says, such a heavy sentence would be "normally unlikely" with options like behavioral programs and probation also at the judge's discretion.
But the judge could choose to make an example of Majors due to the spotlight shone on the trial and potentially "wanting to show that this type of behavior will not be tolerated, [that] you don't assault your intimate partner,” Ward adds.
Majors will also likely appeal, he adds. And if any jail time is handed down "he may serve it," says Ward. "Or he could try to stay that, pending an appeal. And if it's not jail, then he'll take care of whatever he has to take care of in terms of any kind of programs or probation the court requires."
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"Will Jonathan Majors Serve Jail Time after Guilty Verdict? Lawyers Weigh In," by Angel Saunders and Andrea Mandell was published in People on December 18, 2023.