What is document EFTA00028165?

This is a court order from Judge Alison J. Nathan in the federal criminal case against Ghislaine Maxwell, filed on November 3, 2021. It schedules a pretrial hearing for November 10, 2021 to address Maxwell's motions to exclude certain evidence and expert testimony before her sex trafficking trial.

Who is mentioned in this document?

The document names Ghislaine Maxwell as the defendant, and references Judge Alison J. Nathan who issued the order. It also cites the landmark case Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which established the legal standard for admitting expert testimony in federal courts.

What does this document reveal?

The order reveals key pretrial maneuvering in the Maxwell case. Maxwell's defense was fighting to exclude the government's expert testimony on 'grooming' behavior, arguing it lacked scientific validation. The government's expert, Dr. Lisa Rocchio, was set to testify about psychological manipulation of minors. The defense also sought protections under Rule 412 to limit evidence about victims' sexual history. These hearings took place just weeks before the trial that resulted in Maxwell's conviction and 20-year prison sentence.

What is a Daubert hearing?

A Daubert hearing, named after the 1993 Supreme Court case Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, is a pretrial proceeding where a judge determines whether proposed expert testimony is reliable and scientifically valid enough to be presented to a jury. Maxwell's defense used this to challenge the government's expert witness on 'grooming' psychology.

Federal Rule of Evidence 412, also known as the 'rape shield' law, generally prohibits evidence of a victim's sexual history in sex crime cases. Maxwell filed a motion under this rule, and such motions require an in camera (private) hearing to protect victims' privacy.

What is document EFTA00028165?

This is a court order from Judge Alison J. Nathan in the federal criminal case against Ghislaine Maxwell, filed on November 3, 2021. It schedules a pretrial hearing for November 10, 2021 to address Maxwell's motions to exclude certain evidence and expert testimony before her sex trafficking trial.

Who is mentioned in this document?

The document names Ghislaine Maxwell as the defendant, and references Judge Alison J. Nathan who issued the order. It also cites the landmark case Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which established the legal standard for admitting expert testimony in federal courts.

What does this document reveal?

The order reveals key pretrial maneuvering in the Maxwell case. Maxwell's defense was fighting to exclude the government's expert testimony on 'grooming' behavior, arguing it lacked scientific validation. The government's expert, Dr. Lisa Rocchio, was set to testify about psychological manipulation of minors. The defense also sought protections under Rule 412 to limit evidence about victims' sexual history. These hearings took place just weeks before the trial that resulted in Maxwell's conviction and 20-year prison sentence.

What is a Daubert hearing?

A Daubert hearing, named after the 1993 Supreme Court case Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, is a pretrial proceeding where a judge determines whether proposed expert testimony is reliable and scientifically valid enough to be presented to a jury. Maxwell's defense used this to challenge the government's expert witness on 'grooming' psychology.

Federal Rule of Evidence 412, also known as the 'rape shield' law, generally prohibits evidence of a victim's sexual history in sex crime cases. Maxwell filed a motion under this rule, and such motions require an in camera (private) hearing to protect victims' privacy.

EFTA00028165 - EFTA00028166

A court order from Judge Alison J. Nathan scheduling a November 10, 2021 hearing on pretrial motions in the criminal case against Ghislaine Maxwell, including her motions to exclude expert testimony and evidence related to victims' sexual history.

This is a procedural order from the federal criminal case United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell (20-CR-330) filed just weeks before her sex trafficking trial began. Judge Nathan scheduled a hearing on two significant pretrial motions: Maxwell's Rule 412 motion (which limits evidence about victims' sexual behavior) and her Daubert motion seeking to exclude the government's expert witness on 'grooming' psychology. The order also sets a briefing schedule for any government objections to Maxwell's anticipated defense witnesses and requires the parties to submit redacted documents to the court.

Key Highlights

•Hearing scheduled for November 10, 2021 on Maxwell's motions to exclude evidence and expert testimony
•Maxwell challenged the government's expert witness Dr. Lisa Rocchio on 'grooming' psychological testimony
•Rule 412 motion sought to protect victims' sexual history from being used at trial
•Trial commenced just weeks later on November 29, 2021, ending with Maxwell's conviction on 5 of 6 counts

Frequently Asked Questions

Books for Further Reading

The Spider: Inside the Tangled Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

Julie K. Brown

Investigative journalism that broke the Epstein case open

Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 2025: Scannable Outlines & Real-World Samples for Motions, Discovery, Jury Trials

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EFTA00028165 - EFTA00028166

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Page 1 - EFTA00028165

Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 409 Filed 11/03/21 Page 1 of 2 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK United States of America, —v— Ghislaine Maxwell, Defendant. USDC SDNY DOCUMENT ELECTRONICALLY FILED DOC DATE FILED: 1 1 /3/21 20-CR-330 (AJN) ORDER ALISON J. NATHAN, District Judge: The Court is in receipt of the parties' joint letter in response to this Court's order dated October 31, 2021. Dkt. No. 406. The Court will hold a hearing on November 10, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. on the Defendant's motion under Federal Rule of Evidence 412, Dkt. No. 378, the Defendant's motion in limine to exclude under Federal Rule of Evidence 702 and Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993), Dkt. No. 386, and the other outstanding issues that overlap with these two motions as discussed at the November I, 2021 conference. The proceeding will take place in Courtroom 110 of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse at 40 Foley Square, New York, New York. The Court will provide information on public access (for the portion of the Daubert hearing that does not overlap with the Rule 412 issues) as soon as it is available. Otherwise, the Court will order the following briefing schedule if the Government seeks to exclude any of the Defendant's anticipated witness testimony as disclosed in her November I, 2021 notice. See Dkt. No. 406: • Government brief to be filed on ECF: November 8, 2021 • Defense response brief to be filed on ECF: November 11, 2021 EFTA00028165

Page 2 - EFTA00028166

Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 409 Filed 11/03/21 Page 2 of 2 The parties are further ORDERED to docket Exhibit A to Dkt. No. 406 with any proposed redactions on or before November 8, 2021. In order to facilitate the Court's review of any proposed redactions, the parties must also submit via email a highlighted copy. SO ORDERED. Dated: November 3, 2021 New York, New York 2 ALISON J. NATHAN United States District Judge EFTA00028166