Jury selection for Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes's highly anticipated fraud trial is set to commence on Tuesday.
Up to 170 prospective jurors are expected to be questioned in federal court in San Jose, California.
The Silicon Valley figure has pleaded not guilty to defrauding Theranos investors and patients by falsely claiming the company developed technology to run a wide range of tests on a single drop of blood.
She could face years in prison if convicted.
Prosecutors allege the machines did not work after years of hype and that Ms Holmes knew about it, yet continued to lie to investors, doctors and patients as she raised more than $700 million.
“In terms of how much money the government has alleged has been lost, this case is actually not the biggest healthcare fraud case in the past year. There are many larger healthcare fraud cases than the Theranos trial,” said Jason Mehta, a lawyer and former prosecutor specialising in healthcare fraud.
“But in terms of media attention and scrutiny, it certainly ranks right up there as one of the bigger cases in the past decade.”
But Ms Holmes's claims of abuse could complicate jury selection, legal experts said.
Ms Holmes claimed she was abused by the company's chief operating officer, who was her boyfriend at the time.
Court papers submitted last year and unsealed on Friday revealed that Ms Holmes had accused former Theranos chief operating officer Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani of psychological and sexual abuse.
Ms Holmes's lawyers say her “deference” to Mr Balwani led her to believe reportedly false statements about Theranos that he controlled, including a claim about a partnership with Walgreens.
Her lawyers told the judge overseeing the case that Ms Holmes was “highly likely” to give evidence about these claims, court papers show.
Mr Balwani denied allegations of abuse in a 2019 court filing.
Christina Marinakis, a jury consultant with IMS, a provider of expert and litigation consulting services, said jurors may be hesitant to admit that a claim of abuse could “excuse” Ms Holmes's conduct.
“They may fear they are going to be looked at as misogynists,” she said.
Tracy Farrell, a jury consultant, said Ms Holmes's lawyers may favour younger jurors, particularly women, who might question any attempt by prosecutors to show the abuse defence as “just another con".
“It creates a kind of dissonance for women,” Ms Farrell said. “We want to believe them.”
Legal experts also say Ms Holmes needs jurors with a working knowledge of start-ups who could possibly consider Theranos to be an innocent failure rather than a massive fraud.
Ms Holmes, who launched Theranos in 2003 at the age of 19, once drew comparisons with Apple founder Steve Jobs.
When she founded the diagnostics company, Ms Holmes promised results that would be faster and cheaper than laboratories.
Political titans Henry Kissinger and former US defence secretary James Mattis were both drawn to Theranos's board, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch invested cash in the company.
Jurors could potentially hear evidence from these former board members and Mr Murdoch.
But jurors could also hear from patients who were victims of the faulty tests and received a variety of misdiagnoses.
“For many jurors, the patient testimonial likely will be the most compelling and the most moving testimony,” Mr Mehta said.
Opening arguments are scheduled to begin September 8 in San Jose, California.
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
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THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
CHELSEA SQUAD
Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Rudiger, Christensen, Silva, Chalobah, Sarr, Azpilicueta, James, Kenedy, Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Saul, Barkley, Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner, Havertz, Lukaku.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
ARGENTINA SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Agustin Marchesin, Esteban Andrada
Defenders: Juan Foyth, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico, Ramiro Funes Mori, Renzo Saravia, Marcos Acuna, Milton Casco
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Roberto Pereyra, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, Matias Suarez
More on Quran memorisation:
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The biog
Favourite film: The Notebook
Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey
Favourite quote: “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness” Nelson Madela. Hometown: Emmen, The Netherlands
Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends
Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
