Ghislaine Maxwell to seek new trial after juror's sexual abuse claim -lawyer
The office of US Attorney Damian Williams, which prosecuted Maxwell, declined to comment
Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted last week of aiding Jeffrey Epstein's sexual abuses, deserves a new trial, her lawyer said on Wednesday after a juror told media including Reuters that he had been a victim of sexual abuse.
In a letter to US District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan, who presided over Maxwell's trial, the lawyer, Christian Everdell, said there were "incontrovertible grounds" for Maxwell to get a new trial, to serve the interest of justice.
He 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."
Everdell filed the letter shortly after asking Nathan to open an inquiry into the juror's statements.
Nathan's decision on whether a new trial is warranted could hinge on how the juror responded to questions during jury selection about his experiences with sexual abuse, which legal experts said was a key question that defense lawyers were looking at to weed out potentially biased jurors.
The office of US Attorney Damian Williams, which prosecuted Maxwell, declined to comment.
