SAN FRANCISCO — A jury decided Friday that a prestigious venture capital firm did not discriminate or retaliate against a female employee in a case that shined a light on gender imbalance and working conditions for women in Silicon Valley.
The jury in San Francisco reached the verdict in a lawsuit filed by Ellen Pao against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. The lawsuit claimed Pao was fired when she complained about discrimination at the firm.
Pao waved quickly to the jury as she left the courtroom after the verdict.
“If I helped to level the playing field for women and minorities in venture capital, then the battle was worth it,” she said.
The verdict came after a judge ordered the panel to resume deliberations after a discrepancy was found in the initial vote count.
Pao’s attorneys said she was an accomplished junior partner who was passed over for a promotion and fired because the firm used different standards to judge men and women.
