Ghislaine Maxwell’s Lawyer Seeks New Trial After Juror Reveals Own History of Sexual Abuse
The lawyer for Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted last week of aiding Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuses, said on Wednesday that his client deserves a new trial after a juror told the press that he had been a victim of sexual abuse.
In a letter to U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan, who presided over Maxwell’s trial, lawyer Christian Everdell said there were “incontrovertible grounds” for Maxwell to get a new trial, to serve the interest of justice. Everdell called the matter “an issue of pressing importance,” saying disclosures by the juror “influenced the deliberations and convinced other members of the jury to convict Ms. Maxwell.”
The juror, who asked to be identified by his first and middle names, Scotty David, told Reuters on Tuesday evening that after some jurors expressed skepticism about the accounts of two of Maxwell’s accusers during deliberations, he shared his own personal experience of having been sexually abused as a child. Later on Tuesday, The New York Times reported that a second juror described having been sexually abused as a child during deliberations. That juror, who requested anonymity to speak to the Times, said this revelation appeared to help shape the jury’s discussion.
A juror who sat on the Ghislaine Maxwell trial told the media that he had been a victim of sexual abuse. Maxwell is now seeking a new trial. 🙄
— Outspoken (@Out5p0ken) January 6, 2022
Maxwell was convicted on December 29th of sex trafficking and other charges for recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. Epstein, a financier and convicted sex offender, killed himself in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial. Maxwell faces up to 65 years in prison for her conviction.
We don't want to upset anyone, do we?😁 pic.twitter.com/9ogccJOQsa
— Brown Eyed Susan (@smc429) January 5, 2022
Judge Nathan gave Maxwell’s lawyers until January 19th to formally request a new trial and explain whether an inquiry is needed, with a response from prosecutors due by February 2nd. Maxwell separately faces trial on two perjury counts for allegedly lying about her knowledge of Epstein’s behavior during a deposition for a civil case. The date of the perjury trial has not yet been set.