SAN FRANCISCO — A former Silicon Valley venture capitalist is seeking $16 million from prominent firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in a high-profile lawsuit that accuses the firm of blatant and entrenched gender discrimination.
Ellen Pao, the former VC partner, has requested that her former employer pay millions for allegedly stymying her career at the firm and withholding raises and promotions because of her gender. The $16 million request was made during a hearing Monday at San Francisco Superior Court.
Pao, who joined Kleiner in 2005, filed the lawsuit in May 2012, saying that in January of that year she had filed a written complaint with management about what she considered the firm’s culture of gender discrimination; she was told to leave the firm in October 2012.
Also at Monday’s hearing, a judge allowed Pao to question a former colleague, Aileen Lee, about a dinner that only male partners at the firm attended at former Vice President Al Gore’s apartment, and also ask about Pao’s employment and termination. Attorneys for Kleiner had opposed Lee’s deposition, calling it irrelevant and an intrusion on Lee’s privacy.
Kleiner has maintained that Pao’s accusations are without merit and said she has “twisted facts and events in an attempt to create legal claims where none exit,” according to court documents.
Also Monday, the judge heard requests from Kleiner attorneys to obtain information from microblogging site Reddit, Pao’s current employer, that will reveal the value of her stake in the company. Pao took over as interim CEO at Reddit in November.
The high-profile case, which brought gender discrimination to the forefront of Silicon Valley’s consciousness, is even more poignant in the current environment, in which tech companies are acknowledging the problematic lack of women in their workforces, civil rights leaders such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson are pushing for more diversity in tech, and more women are calling for solutions to the massive gender gap. In particular, the shortage of women VCs has been blamed for the shortage of women as startup founders.
Pao and her former employer are scheduled to meet again in court Feb. 17, when the trial kicks off. Jury selection will take place that week, followed by opening arguments.
Pao first complained about the firm’s treatment of women in 2007, after she told management about a married male junior partner who she said pressured her into having an affair in 2006 and continued to sexually harass her, according to her lawsuit. The firm did nothing to prevent further harassment and instead perpetuated a culture of gender discrimination by paying her — and other women at the firm — less, failing to promote them and excluding them from partner events, according to her lawsuit. Meanwhile, the man Pao said had pressured her into sex was promoted, according to court documents.
Pao “experienced continued retaliation after she complained about sexual harassment to the highest level of management of KPCB,” according to the lawsuit.
She says Kleiner Perkins fired her, while the firm says it advised her to leave based on her performance. Kleiner has denied all accusations. The firm said it conducted an independent investigation immediately after Pao raised concerns in 2012 but “concluded (her) discrimination and retaliation complaints were without merit,” according to Kleiner’s response to the lawsuit.
Contact Heather Somerville at 510-208-6413. Follow her at Twitter.com/heathersomervil.
