Criminal Law
Court Documents Indicate That Elizabeth Holmes Will Likely Accuse Her Ex-Boyfriend and Former Theranos Executive of Abuse
Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced founder and former CEO of Theranos whose criminal trial is set to begin in a matter of days, is likely to defend herself by claiming she was the victim of a decade-long abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend, also a former Theranos executive, court documents reveal.
According to the newly unsealed documents, Holmes plans to have an expert testify about the psychological, emotional and sexual abuse she experienced from Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, who served as the company’s COO, including the abusive tactics he allegedly used to “exert control” as well as the psychological impact. Balwani, according to a court filing, “adamantly denies” the claims.
Holmes is also “likely to testify herself to the reasons why she believed, relied on, and deferred to Mr. Balwani,” according to a filing from Holmes’ attorney.
