Maxwell Files Appeal to Second Circuit Court of Appeals
Ghislaine Maxwell files an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, challenging her 2021 conviction on grounds related to a juror's failure to disclose prior sexual abuse and a jury instruction about memory science.
People Involved
In 2023, Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team filed an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit challenging her December 2021 conviction on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence at FCI Tallahassee.
The appeal raised two primary issues: first, that a juror had failed to disclose during voir dire that he had been a victim of sexual abuse, which potentially affected his ability to be impartial; second, that the trial court had improperly denied a jury instruction relating to memory science, which the defense argued was relevant to the reliability of survivor testimony.
The Second Circuit heard oral arguments in 2024 and denied the appeal, affirming Maxwell’s conviction and sentence.