Maxwell’s legal team sought a new trial (or mistrial) on the grounds that Juror 50 (also called “Scotty David” in court documents) failed to disclose, on a pretrial questionnaire, that he had been a victim of sexual abuse. If disclosed, that could have triggered follow-up questions or made him ineligible, or at least subject to more scrutiny about his impartiality. Maxwell argued that the juror’s false statement denied her right to a fair trial.

Judge Alison Nathan rejected the motion. She found that the juror’s failure to disclose was not deliberate, but rather a result of stress, distraction, or oversight. Nathan held that Juror 50 testified truthfully during a hearing about his questionnaire, demonstrated no bias toward Maxwell, and was able to carry out his duties impartially. Though the court called his oversight “highly unfortunate” and expressed regret over the lack of attention in filling out the questionnaire, Nathan concluded that the juror’s conduct did not rise to the level of misconduct that would justify a new trial.



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