In a 40-page opinion, Judge Alison Nathan found that the juror’s lack of attention and attention to the exact answer to each question in the questionnaire was unfortunate, but the Court is certain that the failure to disclose was not intentional. The judge noted that the threshold for the annulment of a guilty verdict is high and occurs “only in the most extraordinary circumstances”. The issue of jurors became public after the conviction when the juror gave several interviews to the media saying that he had been sexually abused as a child. He said many jurors had problems with the victims’ misconceptions, so he shared his personal experience with the abuse and memory during the discussions. “When I shared it, they could come around a bit, they could come around the aspect of the memory of sexual abuse,” the jury said in an interview with Reuters. and, if so, whether this would have an impact on their ability to be impartial in the debate. A copy of the Juror 50 jury questionnaire showed that he had stated in the paper that he had not been sexually abused. Maxwell’s lawyers argued that she should be given a new trial because of the jury’s answers. Last month, Judge Nathan asked the jury, who said he was distracted and unspecified when completing the questionnaire, and made an “unintentional mistake.” He denied that he adapted his answers to win a seat on the jury. The judge said he considered the juror to be responsive and honest and confirmed that his personal history would not affect his ability to serve as an impartial and fair juror “in any way”. On Friday, Maxwell’s lawyer asked the judge not to rule on the new trial proposal until they saw a new interview given by Juror 50 as part of a multi-part flow series at Maxwell. Prosecutors said the government was “strongly” opposed to any delay in the decision. During Maxwell’s trial, prosecutors allege that she and Epstein conspired to create a plot to lure young girls into sex with Epstein in New York, Florida, New Mexico and the US Virgin Islands. Four women testified during the trial that Epstein abused them and that Maxwell facilitated the abuse and sometimes participated in it. The trial, which lasted about a month late last year, alternated between disturbing testimonies from victims of sexual abuse and enlightening testimonies about some of Epstein’s connections to high-profile celebrities. The jury of six women and six men discussed for about 40 hours in sections six days before the verdict. She was found guilty of sexually abusing a minor, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and three related conspiracy theories, but was acquitted of inciting a minor to travel for unlawful sexual acts. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June and faces up to 65 years in prison. Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges, was charged with federal sex trafficking charges in July 2019, but died of suicide in prison a month later. Maxwell was arrested a year later. CNN’s Lauren del Valle, Kara Scannell and Sonia Moghe contributed to this report.
