A choose denied Ghislaine Maxwell's request for a brand new trial, rejecting her declare of juror bias. Maxwell filed the movement in January after a person who served on the jury that convicted her of intercourse trafficking late final yr revealed he was a sufferer of childhood sexual abuse, which he had not disclosed in jury choice.
"In sum, the Court docket concludes that the proof within the report doesn't help discovering that Juror 50 was biased," U.S. Circuit Decide Alison J. Nathan wrote Friday. "Juror 50's sworn testimony didn't reveal precise partiality. And Juror 50 was not impliedly or inferably biased."
Nathan mentioned the person was distracted whereas answering the jury questionnaire, and was "neither a sufferer nor in any other case concerned within the precise crimes. Nor does he have any form of relationship with any of the events or case individuals."
The juror had earlier advised the choose he "skimmed means too quick" by way of the questionnaire and didn't deliberately give the incorrect reply to a query about intercourse abuse.
"I did not lie as a way to get on this jury," he mentioned.
"His failure to reveal his prior sexual abuse in the course of the jury choice course of was extremely unlucky, however not deliberate," the choose wrote. "The Court docket additional concludes that Juror 50 harbored no bias towards the Defendant and will function a good and neutral juror."
Maxwell, a British socialite, was convicted in December of serving to the millionaire Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse a number of teenage women. Epstein died in what was dominated a suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019.
Maxwell's sentencing is scheduled for June 28, the choose wrote Friday.
In a letter to Nathan in January, Maxwell's legal professionals mentioned that "primarily based on undisputed, publicly obtainable info, the Court docket can and may order a brand new trial with none evidentiary listening to."
In return, the choose set a schedule for the protection to ask for a brand new trial, saying it ought to make the request by January 19, with prosecutors replying by February 2. She requested them to deal with whether or not "an inquiry of some variety" is permitted or required. Nathan additionally mentioned she would supply a court-appointed lawyer for the juror.
The choose's order got here after protection legal professionals mentioned Maxwell "intends to request a brand new trial" with a submission that would come with all identified undisputed remarks of the juror, together with recorded statements and the questionnaire all jurors crammed out.
"It's clear to Ms. Maxwell that primarily based on this report alone a brand new trial is required," they mentioned on the time, urging that every one trial jurors be examined to guage their conduct if a listening to happens.