On Friday, a federal judge in Manhattan ruled and denied Ghislaine Maxwell for a new trial after it was revealed that a juror in the sex trafficking case involving minor victims had a childhood history of sexual abuse that he did not disclose during jury selection.
Maxwell repeatedly requesting for a new trial after a juror in the case failed to disclose childhood sexual abuse.
U.S. Circuit Judge Alison J. Nathan wrote Friday “In sum, the Court concludes that the evidence in the record does not support finding that Juror 50 was biased.
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She added, “Juror 50’s sworn testimony did not reveal actual partiality. And Juror 50 was not impliedly or inferably biased.”
Juror No 50, Scotty David, was questioned in court on 8 March about his omission. He told the judge, Alison Nathan, he had been distracted when quickly completing a screening questionnaire.
Nathan then thought that David’s explanation was truthful and he gave no indication of bias against Maxwell.
Nathan also said:
“His tone, demeanor, and responsiveness gave no indication of false testimony. The court thus credits his testimony that he was distracted as he filled out the questionnaire and ‘skimmed way too fast’, leading him to misunderstand some of the questions.”
“The court further finds that Juror 50 was not biased and would not have been stricken for cause even if he had answered each question on the questionnaire accurately.”
A new trial was requested by Maxwell’s lawyers after the court denied Maxwell’s request and not being able to question the juror during the hearing. “This strong issue, among many other issues, will be presented to the Court of Appeals and we are optimistic about Ms. Maxwell’s success on appeal,” Maxwell’s lawyer Bobbi Sternheim said.
“It is clear to Ms. Maxwell that based on this record alone a new trial is required,” they said at the time, urging that all trial jurors be examined to evaluate their conduct if a hearing occurs.
It was on December 29, 2021, when Maxwell was found guilty on five of six counts after she trafficked young girls to Jeffrey Epstein a convicted sex offender billionaire.
Source: Daily Wire