Ghislaine Maxwell’s push for a mistrial centered on revelations after her 2021 trial that at least one juror—Scotty David—gave media interviews detailing his own history of childhood sexual abuse, and admitted to influencing other jurors’ thinking in deliberations. David also said he was unsure whether he disclosed that abuse in the jury questionnaire, a failure Maxwell’s team contended deprived her of the chance to question his suitability for the case during voir dire. They argued that this nondisclosure and the subsequent behavior warranted vacating the verdict and granting a new trial.

Judge Alison Nathan ultimately rejected Maxwell’s motion for a new trial. She determined that even if the juror’s statements posed concerns, they did not satisfy the legal standard requiring proof that the juror intentionally lied about a material fact, and that such a lie would have justified a challenge for cause. In short, Nathan found that Maxwell had not shown sufficient grounds under precedent to overturn the jury’s verdict.


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