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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 649 _ Filed 03/15/22 Page3of12
LAW OFFICES OF BOBBI C. STERNHEIA\
Question 49, which asked “Have you or a friend or family member ever been accused of sexual
harassment, sexual abuse, or sexual assault?” (Court Exhibit #1 at 25). Juror 50 had answered
“No.” (d.). Although Juror 50 initially claimed that this was an accurate response because he
did not consider his stepbrother a “family member,” Juror 50 eventually admitted that this was
not an accurate answer and that the truthful answer was “Yes (friend or family member)”
because a stepbrother is a family member and Juror 50’s mother reported the stepbrother’s sexual
abuse to the police when Juror 50 disclosed it to her several years after it happened. (Tr. 8-9, 11-
13).
Accordingly, the record is clear that several of Juror 50’s voir dire responses were false,
satisfying the first prong of the McDonough test. See United States v. Stewart, 433 F.3d 273,
303 (2d Cir. 2006) (“[A] party alleging unfairness based on undisclosed juror bias must
demonstrate first, that the juror’s voir dire response was false and second, that the correct
response would have provided a valid basis for a challenge for cause.” (citing McDonough
Power Equipment, Inc. v. Greenwood, 464 U.S. 548, 556 (1984)).'
II. Had Juror 50 Answered the Questions Truthfully, He Would Have Been Struck for
Cause
The Court must next consider whether the correct responses to the voir dire questions
would have provided Ms. Maxwell with a valid basis to challenge Juror 50 for cause. See
Stewart, 433 F.3d at 303. The Court must determine whether Juror 50 was capable of being an
impartial, unbiased juror “capable and willing to decide the case solely on the evidence before
! Ms. Maxwell reiterates her position that it is not necessary for the false statement to be intentional or deliberate to
satisfy the first prong of the McDonough test. See Motion at 23-28; Reply at 9-10. Nevertheless, the record
establishes that Juror 50’s false statements were intentional. (See discussion infra). Even if the Court determines
that they were not, and that Af/cDonough requires an intentional false statement, Ms. Maxwell is still entitled to a
new trial based on Juror 50’s bias. See Skaggs v. Otis Elevator Co., 164 F.3d 511, 516 (10% Cir. 1998) (“Although
unable to prove a juror’s incorrect response to a material question was intentional, a movant may introduce evidence
demonstrating bias on the part of a juror who gave an incorrect but not intentionally dishonest answer during voir
dire.”).
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| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00010309.jpg |
| File Size | 803.1 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.0% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 2,576 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 17:57:25.230303 |