Ghislaine Maxwell’s Right To Fair Trial Was ‘Violated’ By Juror, Her Lawyers Argue

Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers are pushing for her to be given a new trial, arguing that her right to a fair trial was “violated” by juror Scotty David, who didn’t disclose that he was a victim of childhood sexual abuse during jury selection.

The New York Post reported that Maxwell’s attorneys claim that David “corrupted the voir dire,” which is the process in which the judge and lawyers ask potential jurors questions in trying to choose who will ultimately serve on a jury.

At the end of December, Maxwell was convicted on five out of six charges related to her allegedly grooming young girls for sex with the late billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and sometimes participating in the abuse herself. Afterwards, David told reporters that he had used his history as a victim of sexual abuse to sway jurors as they deliberated Maxwell’s fate.

David added that he “flew through” the jury questionnaire and could not remember if he had answered the question about past sexual trauma truthfully.

Maxwell’s lawyers sent a letter to Judge Alison Nathan on Tuesday asking for a new trial and saying that their retrial motion should remain sealed until a ruling is made. They argued that if the motion is made public, it would give the David “an improper preview of information he does not have and should never have, or at the very least should not have at this point in the process.”

One of the things that the defense attorneys are trying to keep from David, who they described as Juror 50, is his “exact” questionnaire responses, which have never been publicly revealed.

“The Motion will provide a roadmap of the defense’s examination of Juror 50 and will allow him to plan out and tailor his responses, or even potentially spoliate evidence, to paint himself and his conduct in the best light possible,” Maxwell’s lawyers argued.

Prosecutors have argued that Maxwell does not deserve a new trial for this, although they have called on Judge Nathan to launch an investigation into how David made it onto the jury. Should she not be given a retrial, Maxwell is due to be sentenced on June 28, and she is potentially facing up to 65 years in prison.

Epstein allegedly committed suicide in prison back in August of 2019 while awaiting trial on sex crime charges of his own. Maxwell’s lawyers have argued that she has been made a scapegoat for his crimes by prosecutors, since they can’t go after the late billionaire pedophile himself. It remains to be seen whether or not Maxwell will be granted the retrial she is pushing for.

This piece originally appeared in RobManess.com and is used by permission.

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