Ellen Pao drops appeal against former employer in gender bias case
Ellen Pao during her gender discrimination trial in March 2015.
One-time venture capital partner and former Reddit interim Chief Executive Ellen Pao is dropping her appeal in a gender discrimination lawsuit against venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, she said Thursday.
In a prepared statement, Pao — who sued Kleiner Perkins for gender discrimination and lost her case in a high-profile jury trial earlier this year — said she cannot afford the risk of incurring additional costs to fight her former employer. She said she had not reached any settlement with the firm.
In the trial, a jury found that Kleiner Perkins did not discriminate or retaliate against Pao when it fired her in 2012.
A judge has ordered her to pay Kleiner Perkins $275,000 in legal fees.
“This battle has been painful for me personally and professionally, and also for my family,” Pao said in the prepared statement. “It is time to move on. I look forward to continuing the conversation about workplace equality and to building great company in the technology industry.”
In its own prepared statement, a spokesperson for Kleiner Perkins said the firm is glad the trial is behind it.
“There is no question diversity in the workplace is an important issue,” the statement read. “KPCB remains committed to supporting women and minorities in venture capital and technology both inside our firm and within our industry.”
Twitter: @traceylien
