SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Ellen Pao, has lost a gender-bias case that has drawn attention to the treatment of women in Silicon Valley.
Pao’s attorneys said she was an accomplished junior partner who was passed over for a promotion because the firm used different standards to judge men and women.
A lawyer for Kleiner Perkins countered that Pao failed as an investor at the company and sued to get a big payout as she was being shown the door. “Her view of her skills and performance was far different than the views of the Kleiner Perkins partners,” company lawyer Lynne Hermle said.
Kleiner Perkins also accused Pao of being a chronic complainer who manipulated facts to aid her case. They said Pao had a history of conflicts with colleages which played a part in the decision to let her go.
The lawsuit stood out as an example of gender inequality in the Silicon Valley tech world, and forced some companies to re-evaluate their corporate cultures before the jury ultimately sided with Kleiner Perkins.
During deliberations, jurors will decide if Kleiner Perkins discriminated against Pao because she is a woman; failed to take reasonable steps to prevent that discrimination; and retaliated against her after she complained about gender bias by failing to promote her and then firing her.