Yichuan Cao/NurPhoto via Getty Images (Holmes). Justin Sullivan/Getty Images (Balwani).
- Elizabeth Holmes testified in her trial that former Theranos COO Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani abused her.
- One of the jurors in Holmes’ trial told WSJ that, on the whole, the jury believed her allegations.
- However, they also viewed this testimony as “a sympathy ploy” and considered it irrelevant to the trial.
Elizabeth Holmes testified she was abused by her ex-business partner in her fraud trial. Instead of helping her case, the testimony was actually considered irrelevant to it, according to one juror.
In her seven-day testimony, Holmes alleged that Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, who is Theranos’ former president and COO, physically and emotionally abused her. She testified that he controlled her meals and schedule and sexually assaulted her during their relationship.
Susanna Stefanek, an editorial manager at Apple and juror No. 8 in Holmes’ trial, told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday that she and her 11 fellow jurors believed the Theranos founder’s allegations of abuse but didn’t think they were pertinent to her case.
“There was a certain amount of cynicism that it was a sympathy ploy,” Stefanek told the Journal.
Another juror in Holmes’ trial has echoed this sentiment. Wayne Kaatz, a TV writer and juror No. 6 in the trial, told ABC News earlier this week the jury was sympathetic to Holmes’ allegations of abuse but considered them irrelevant to the charges against her.
On Monday, Holmes was found guilty of three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud investors. She was found not guilty on four other charges, and jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict on three others.
You can read the Wall Street Journal’s full juror interview here.
Read the original article on Business Insider 
