Theranos Inc. founder Elizabeth Holmes may argue at her upcoming prison fraud trial that she was in a decadelong abusive relationship with former Theranos President Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani that left her below his management through the interval by which the federal government alleges the 2 blood-testing executives dedicated a large fraud, newly revealed courtroom information present.
Ms. Holmes claims the abuse by her former enterprise and romantic accomplice was psychological, emotional and sexual, in keeping with the paperwork.
Ms. Holmes accused Mr. Balwani of controlling what she ate, when she slept and the way she dressed, throwing sharp objects at her and monitoring her textual content messages and emails, amongst different issues, in keeping with one of many filings.
Mr. Balwani “unequivocally denies that he engaged in any abuse at any time,” in keeping with one of many newly unsealed filings. His lawyer, Jeffrey Coopersmith, argued this week that the filings ought to stay below seal in order that Mr. Balwani’s trial, at the moment scheduled for early subsequent yr, could be truthful. Mr. Coopersmith didn’t reply to a request for remark after the filings turned public in a single day.
The revelations, days earlier than her trial is ready to start, shed gentle for the primary time on how Ms. Holmes’s attorneys would possibly mount a mental-health protection, in addition to on a choose’s resolution to separate the trials of Ms. Holmes and Mr. Balwani, who have been collectively charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in June 2018. Each have pleaded not responsible.
