Judge Nathan added that Juror 50’s “lack of attention and care in responding accurately to every question on the questionnaire is regrettable, but the court is confident that the failure to disclose was not deliberate.”
Bobbi C. Sternheim, a lawyer for Ms. Maxwell, said Friday night, “We strongly object to the court’s denial of Ms. Maxwell’s motion for a new trial.”
“The defense was denied the opportunity to question Juror 50 during the recent hearing,” Ms. Sternheim added. “This strong issue, among many other issues, will be presented to the Court of Appeals and we are optimistic about Ms. Maxwell’s success on appeal.”
Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, declined to comment.
Todd A. Spodek, the juror’s lawyer, said in a statement: “Juror 50 does not consider himself a victim and does not let his past define him. He listened to the evidence and was fair and impartial. This is what justice requires, not more.”
Ms. Maxwell’s conviction was the culmination of a convoluted, yearslong case that entangled celebrities and politicians and spawned conspiracy theories centered around Mr. Epstein, who died by suicide while in custody awaiting his own trial. But the odyssey continued even after the jury reached its verdict.
Hours before Judge Nathan’s ruling, Ms. Maxwell’s lawyers wrote to the judge, asking that she delay her decision in light of what they called new information — yet another media interview with Juror 50, which was to be released on a streaming service. Prosecutors objected to the request, and the judge denied it.
The judge’s ruling followed an unusual hearing on March 8, in which she ordered Juror 50 to return to court and testify under oath about his responses on the questionnaire and whether they had affected his impartiality.