Jonathan Majors’ ex-girlfriend drops defamation and assault lawsuit
Emma McIntyre/WireImage
(NEW YORK) — Actor Jonathan Majors and his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari have agreed to resolve her civil claims that followed his misdemeanor assault conviction in New York, according to a court filing.
Majors and Jabbari stipulated to a dismissal of her lawsuit for defamation and assault that she brought against him in March, the filing said. A reason was not given.
Jabbari sued Majors about the same time he was sentenced to domestic violence intervention classes in April. She alleged he physically abused her and then defamed her by denying the assault in an interview with ABC News.
Majors was found guilty of one count of misdemeanor third-degree assault and one count of second-degree harassment, but acquitted of two other counts of assault and aggravated harassment in a split verdict.
Since the verdict, Majors has been dropped from his management and PR firms. In addition, he was cut from future Marvel films and his role as Kang in “Avengers: Kang Dynasty.”
As part of his sentencing, Majors was ordered to complete 52-week in-person batterers intervention program in Los Angeles, continue mental health counseling and stay away from Jabbari.
Pennsylvania State Police troopers found this sinkhole while searching for a missing woman; Pennsylvania State Police
(UNITY TOWNSHIP, Pa.) — Rescuers are desperately searching for a grandmother they believe fell into a deep sinkhole — holding out hope of finding her despite the difficult rescue conditions.
Elizabeth Pollard, who was last seen Monday evening, has not yet been found amid the complicated search effort in Unity Township, Pennsylvania, police said Wednesday morning.
The sinkhole is believed to be tied to an abandoned coal mine and formed while Pollard was walking in the area, officials said. Search crews have been able to make entry into the mine area, though the integrity of the mine has been compromised by the water they are using to break up the ground, Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Steve Limani said during a briefing Wednesday.
The search will continue as long as needed pending any safety concerns, though the digging process may be slower now, he said.
“Hopefully she’s in an air pocket,” Limani said during a briefing Tuesday evening, noting that there have been incidents in the region where people have survived similar situations in underground mines. “This is a rescue to me until something says that it’s not.”
Rescue teams from nearby areas have joined forces, swapping shifts to keep the effort going. Oxygen tankers are being delivered regularly to supply the mine shaft, and crews have made progress entering the underground area.
The conditions are tough, with clay-like soil making it difficult to dig, but rescuers remain determined.
“We’re doing everything we can, and no one is giving up,” said Limani.
He added, “It’s heartbreaking for her family and everyone here. But we’re not stopping. We’re all hoping for a miracle.”
Pollard was reported missing by a family member shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday, Limani said at an earlier press conference Tuesday.
Pollard was last seen around 5 p.m. Monday, Limani said. The family member said Pollard had gone out to look for her cat Monday afternoon but has not been heard from since, he said.
Pollard’s vehicle was located shortly before 3 a.m. Tuesday with her 5-year-old granddaughter inside, though Pollard was nowhere to be seen, police said.
“At that point in time we realized this could be a very bad situation,” Limani said.
While searching for Pollard in the area, troopers found an apparent sinkhole with an opening about the “size of a manhole” 15 to 20 feet away from the vehicle, Limani said.
Emergency responders were called to the scene in what is currently being considered a rescue mission, authorities said. Local firefighters, a technical rescue team and the state’s Bureau of Mine Safety are among those working alongside an excavation team to remove dirt to access the sinkhole, Limani said.
The current evidence points toward Pollard being in the sinkhole, Limani said.
“We don’t feel a reason that we should be looking elsewhere,” he said.
The sinkhole appears to have been created during the time that Pollard was walking around, Limani said, noting there is no evidence the hole was there before she started looking for her cat.
The area where the sinkhole formed has a “very thin layer of earth” and appears to have been deteriorating “for a long time,” Limani said.
“It appears to be mostly just grass interwoven where she had stepped,” he said. “There wasn’t much earth at all to hold up that space.”
A camera inserted into the opening of the sinkhole showed a “big void, and it was all different depths,” Marguerite Fire Chief Scot Graham told reporters during the earlier press briefing.
A camera did not pick up any sounds, though authorities did see a “modern-type” shoe in the sinkhole, according to Pleasant Unity Fire Chief John Bacha.
“The process is long and it is tedious,” Graham said of the search effort.
The mine last operated in 1952, according to the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. The depth to the coal seam in this area is approximately 20 feet, a department spokesperson said.
Once the scene is clear, the department will investigate the site “to determine if this issue is the result of historic mine subsidence,” the spokesperson said.
Pollard’s granddaughter is safe, despite the cold temperatures overnight, and is currently with her parents, Limani said.
The family is asking for privacy at this time and is hoping for “good news,” he said.
“We need to get a little bit lucky,” Limani said. “We’re going to do everything we can.”
ABC News’ Alexandra Faul and Jason Volack contributed to this report.
Allen is accused of killing Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams 13, on a hiking trail in rural Delphi on Feb. 13, 2017. He’s pleaded not guilty to murder.
John Galipeau, the former warden of the Westville Correctional Facility, where Allen was held for 13 months after his October 2022 arrest, took the stand on Tuesday.
Galipeau told jurors Allen wrote a note requesting an interview with him on March 5, 2023. He said Allen’s note said, “I am ready to officially for confess killing Abby and Libby. I hope I get the opportunity to tell the families I’m sorry.”
Galipeau said Allen admitted to throwing out a box cutter in the dumpster behind the CVS where he worked in Delphi.
An expert has testified a box cutter may have been used to slash the girls’ throats.
Asked about Allen’s mental state at Westville, Galipeau said Allen was quiet for the first month and then began acting “erratic” after he got mail from his attorneys.
Galipeau said Allen washed his face in the toilet, went to the bathroom in his cell, tore up mail and ate paper.
Allen’s attorneys have argued he was treated poorly at Westville and was called a “baby killer,” which led to a decline in his mental health.
Galipeau testified that Allen was allowed to shower three times a week, was provided three sets of clothing, had access to tablets and was allowed recreation time five days a week in an indoor room. Allen was on suicide watch and received a medical check daily, Galipeau said.
Another corrections officer, Brandon Fisher, testified that Allen confessed on April 29, 2023. According to Fisher, Allen said his plan was to rape Abby and Libby, but he panicked and ended up killing them.
Allen allegedly told Fisher he killed the girls with a box cutter and threw it into a dumpster behind CVS.
Westville corrections officer Michael Clemons also took the stand, telling jurors he was assigned to record everything Allen said and did while on suicide watch.
According to Clemons, Allen said, “I’m so glad no one gave up on me after I killed Abby and Libby,” and, “I, Richard Matthew Allen, killed Abby and Libby by myself. No one helped me.”
Clemons said Allen would shout to other inmates, “I’m not crazy, I’m only acting like I’m crazy.”
During cross-examination, Clemons testified that he never felt Allen’s behavior was genuine.
Defense attorney Brad Rozzi asked Clemons, “Can prison get to a man?” and the corrections officer admitted, “Yes it can.”
Corrections officer Michael Roberts testified that Allen was coherent and talkative, but a little scared when he arrived at Westville. After a few months, Roberts said Allen’s behavior changed and he started confessing.
Roberts had a detailed log of the four confessions he said he heard.
On April 7, 2023, Roberts wrote that Allen said, “Dear Lord, forgive me for molesting Abby, Libby, Kevin, and Chris. I want to confess. I know a lot more.” The identities of Kevin and Chris were not explained in the testimony.
On April 23, 2023, Roberts wrote that Allen said, “I killed Abby & Libby. My wife wasn’t involved. I want to confess.”
On April 26, 2023, he wrote that Allen said, “Can I talk? Can you listen I killed Abby & Libby? How do I prove I’m insane?”
On June 18, 2023, Roberts noted that Allen said, “Why are you doing this? Do you know God? Do you know why I’m here? I killed Abby and Libby.”
During cross-examination, Roberts admitted that Allen had smeared feces all over his cell and put feces on his face for two hours.
Roberts also said Allen refused food for long periods of time, and recalled one incident where Allen hit his head on the wall for so long that his face turned black and blue.
After 13 months at Westville, Allen was transferred to Wabash Valley Correctional Facility. Jason Bedwell, a corrections officer there, testified that on Feb. 4, 2024, Allen cried and talked to himself, saying, “I am sorry for what I did. Sorry for killing them.”
(MALIBU, CA) — A fast-moving brush fire exploded over 14,000 acres on Wednesday, prompting evacuations amid a red flag warning from the National Weather Service.
Ventura County remains under an “extremely critical” wildfire warning while firefighters struggle to gain an edge on the Mountain Fire, which is currently 0% contained.
At least two individuals have been transferred to hospitals for smoke inhalation, Ventura County Fire Chief Justin Gardner said during a press briefing Wednesday evening.
An accurate number regarding damage is expected on Thursday, as the area remains too dangerous to fully assess the damage, according to Gardner.
At least 14,000 people were told to evacuate, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff.
The Mountain Fire is one of two wind-driven fires that broke out in Southern California, leading the NWS to issue a rare red flag warning for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties alerting of an “extreme fire risk” from Malibu into the San Gabriel Mountains, north of Los Angeles, where winds could gust near 100 mph.
“A very strong, widespread, and long-duration Santa Ana wind event will bring widespread extremely critical fire weather conditions to many areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Wednesday into Thursday,” according to the NWS warning.
As of Wednesday, at least two wind-driven fires have already broken out in Southern California.
Mountain Fire
According to local fire officials, the rapidly burning Mountain Fire in Ventura County has spread over 14,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders, threatening structures, and leaving several people injured.
“We do know we’ve lost homes, we do know we’ve had homes damaged, and we know of injuries but I do not have any counts,” Public Information Officer Scott Dettorre told ABC News.
“The injuries we do know of are civilian, we do not have any firefighter injuries at this time,” Dettorre said.
Due to extreme wind conditions, fixed-wing aircraft are unable to assist in firefighting efforts, according to the Ventura Fire Department, which said ground crews, helicopters and mutual aid resources are “actively working to protect lives and property.”
Evacuation orders are in effect for Walnut Ave to Balcom Canyon Road and North Highway 118 to the ridgeline and west to Saticoy County Club in Ventura County, according to CAL Fire.
Broad Fire
A second wildfire erupted in Los Angeles County’s Malibu area Wednesday — named the Broad Fire — and has burned at least 50 acres southwest of South Malibu Canyon Road and the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu, according to CAL Fire.
Local fire officials have warned residents to prepare for potential evacuations and the PCH has been closed in both directions between Webb Way and Corral Canyon.
Santa Ana wind conditions
Named after Southern California’s Santa Ana Canyon, the region’s Santa Ana winds bring blustery, dry and warm wind that blows out of the desert, drying out vegetation and increasing wildfire danger.
The long-duration Santa Ana wind event will reach its peak on Wednesday, becoming moderate on Thursday, then tailing off to light offshore winds on Friday.
Northeast winds moving 20 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph are expected across the canyons and passes of Southern California through Wednesday, with higher winds in the more wind-prone areas.
Another surge of wind is expected to peak late Wednesday night through Thursday morning with widespread northeast winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph before weakening considerably by Thursday afternoon.
