Judge to question Ghislaine Maxwell juror; new trial denied.

• On Thursday, a U.S. judge will interrogate a juror in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial about not disclosing childhood sexual abuse.
• Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan rejected Maxwell's request for a new trial, but scheduled a hearing on March 8 for Juror 50 to testify publicly.

On Thursday, a U.S. judge will interrogate a juror in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial about not disclosing childhood sexual abuse.

Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan rejected Maxwell's request for a new trial, but scheduled a hearing on March 8 for Juror 50 to testify publicly.

Nathan stated that Maxwell had met the "high" legal standard to secure a post-verdict hearing.

On December 29, Maxwell, 60, was found guilty of five out of the six charges she faced for assisting Jeffrey Epstein's sexual exploitation of minors.

The British socialite faces up to 65 years in prison.

During the five days of jury deliberations, Juror 50, identified as Scotty David, disclosed his history of sexual abuse to other jurors and later spoke about it to the media, including Reuters.

When completing his juror questionnaire, he admitted that he had not previously disclosed any abuse before trial, and was asked if he could fairly judge Maxwell as a sexual abuse victim.

Juror 50, a man in his mid-30s, admitted to Reuters that he did not recall the question and would have answered truthfully, but that he hurried through the questionnaire.

Nathan characterized Juror 50's statements as "evidence" that he lied on his questionnaire, which hindered Maxwell's lawyers from challenging his bias.

Nathan stated that he could not accept Juror 50's statements because they were either unsworn or inadmissible under federal evidentiary rules.

The judge also ordered that Juror 50′s questionnaire be made public.

Nathan denied Maxwell's lawyers' request to question a second juror who reportedly discussed experiencing sexual abuse as a child.

Neither Maxwell's lawyers nor Todd Spodek, a lawyer for Juror 50, responded to requests for comment.

According to legal experts, jurors typically lie to be seated when verdicts are overturned due to dishonesty, rather than unintentionally withholding crucial information.

Maxwell’s sentencing is scheduled for June 28.

On Aug. 10, 2019, Epstein took his own life in a Manhattan jail cell at the age of 66, while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.