A jury in the sex discrimination suit filed by Ellen Pao against venture capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins ruled the VC did not discriminate when it didn’t promote her and then fired her, reports the Mercury News.
Kleiner Perkins successfully argued Pao was difficult to work with and didn’t have the skills to be an investor. The jury, however, failed to reach a decision on one claim, and the judge sent them back into deliberations.
Pao had argued she was retaliated against for breaking off an affair with a junior partner in the firm.
While Pao loss her lawsuit, analysts say she still succeeded in shaking up Silicon Valley’s traditional men’s club.
“While Ellen Pao was unsuccessful in proving the facts of her case, this trial sparked an important conversation about women in venture capital, and more broadly, how bias and discrimination play out in today’s workplace,” said Joelle Emerson, founder of diversity consulting firm Paradigm, to USA Today. “I am confident this conversation will lead to important changes both in Silicon Valley and nationwide.”
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Two other Asian American women have filed similar suits in separate actions against Facebook and Twitter.
You can hear post verdict remarks from Pao, jurors and Kleiner Perkins attorney in the clip below from ABC7 News.