Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the error starting blood test Theranos is reported to be accusing her ex-boyfriend and business partner of abuse during her upcoming criminal trial.
According to unsealed documents obtained by the Washington Post, Holmes plans to argue that the abuse — which allegedly included verbal abuse and coercive control — prevented him from being able to make his own decisions.
Holmes’ lawyers filed the allegations in December, when they alerted the judge to the possibility that Holmes could introduce evidence of intimate partner abuse he allegedly endured from former Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani. In the document, Holmes said Balwani monitored his communications and movements, threw dangerous objects at him and restricted his sleep. A later February defense presentation suggests that Holmes, who has been charged with 10 counts of cable fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit cable fraud, will likely cite those charges to explain “why he believed, trusted and deferred to the Sr. Balwani “. And other court documents raise the possibility of an expert witness explaining “how Mrs Holmes’ relationship with Mr Balwani was consistent with the abuse of the intimate couple” in court. Balwani has denied the allegations through his lawyers.
Holmes’ long-awaited trial is scheduled for next month in federal court in San Jose, California, and jury selection will begin Tuesday. Legal problems began for Holmes when Theranos was exposed as (supposedly!) a massive scam by journalists in 2015, prompting federal investigators to take action against the company. The following year, Holmes was temporarily prohibited from owning or operating a lab, and began prominent corporate partners like Walgreens break ties with the company.
Holmes and Balwani were indicted in June 2018, according to prosecutors’ findings that the couple had defrauded investors as well as doctors and patients. Originally, Holmes and Balwani were to be tried together, but the two separated the cases. Despite Balwani’s requests, Holmes will go first, that is, the public will first hear his accounts of his alleged abuses before going to court. But even if the jury in Holmes’ case believes she was mistreated by Balwani, it doesn’t necessarily mean they see it as a plausible explanation. for her business decisions.