Ghislaine Maxwell's Lawyers Have Filed For A Retrial
It comes after her legal team raised concerns about a juror's possible failure to disclose that he was sexually abused as a child
Ghislaine Maxwell's lawyers have filed a motion for a retrial, according to Reuters.
It comes after her legal team raised concerns about a juror's possible failure to disclose that he was sexually abused as a child before the trial.
Maxwell's defense lawyer, Bobbi C. Sternheim, said in a letter to US District Judge Alison J Nathan: "Today, counsel for Ghislaine Maxwell filed her motion for a new trial."
Sternheim asked that all submissions pertaining to 'Juror No. 50' remain under seal until the court rules on the motion.
Maxwell, 60, faces up to 65 years in prison after being convicted on five counts of sex trafficking and other crimes, having recruited and groomed teenage girls to have sexual encounters with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In the wake of the conviction last month, there have been concerns that Maxwell might lodge a claim of mistrial after one of the jurors described his own sexual abuse ordeal.
Juror Scotty David - who requested to be identified by his first and middle names - said that he helped other jurors see things from the victim's viewpoint.
After she was found guilty, Scotty told the Independent he believed all the victims who testified in the case. He also revealed how all of the accusers corroborated each other and were supported by other evidence.
Speaking to the publication, he said: "This verdict is for all the victims. For those who testified, for those who came forward and for those who haven’t come forward.
“I’m glad that Maxwell has been held accountable. This verdict shows that you can be found guilty, no matter your status.”
Addressing the testimony of the victims, Scotty said: “They were all believable. Nothing they said felt to me like a lie. I know what happened when I was sexually abused.
“I remember the colour of the carpet, the walls. Some of it can be replayed like a video. But I can’t remember all the details, there are some things that run together.”
Prospective jurors were asked in a questionnaire whether or not they had ever been a victim of sexual abuse, but Scotty told Reuters he did not remember the question, adding that he would have answered honestly.
Legal experts told the news agency that Maxwell would not be guaranteed a new trial even if the juror had not disclosed the abuse on the questionnaire, explaining how cases of juror dishonesty that lead to verdicts being overturned tend to involve jurors who deliberately lied in order to be selected.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: US News, Jeffrey Epstein, Crime
Jess Hardiman