Disgraced entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes has described herself as the abused puppet of her former lover and business partner Sunny Balwani in tearful testimony, part of her attempt to refute accusations she lied about a flawed blood-testing technology she had hailed as a major breakthrough.
After recounting how she met Balwani while she was still in high school, Holmes said she eventually fell under his sway after she dropped out of Stanford University in 2003 to found Theranos, a Silicon Valley start-up she led as chief executive for 15 years.
A weeping Holmes, now 37, testified she was raped at Stanford - a factor she believes played a role in what she characterised as her later subservience to Balwani, now 56.
The two became romantically involved in 2005 before Balwani became chief operating officer at Theranos, a position he held from 2009 to 2016.
Even before joining Theranos, Balwani was regularly berating Holmes as an inept executive who needed to "kill" her former self in an effort to become more disciplined and focused, according to her testimony and contemporaneous notes with strict instructions for Holmes handwritten by Balwani.
They included spending at least 30 minutes each morning writing out her daily goals and never spending more than five minutes meeting with anyone unless she had written down a reason justifying the additional time.
If she did not do what Balwani said, Holmes said, he would yell and tell her he was "so disappointed in my mediocrity".
Holmes said Balwani tried to cut her off from her family to keep her focus on Theranos, and controlled her diet in an attempt to keep her "pure".
Sometimes after Balwani belittled her, Holmes testified, he would force her to have sex against her will to show he loved her.
The dramatic turn came during the fourth day of Holmes' testimony before a jury weighing fraud charges that include swindling investors and customers while putting patients at risk by telling elaborate lies about the company's development of an allegedly revolutionary blood-testing device.
Holmes could face a prison sentence of up to 20 years if convicted.
Balwani faces fraud allegations mirroring those against Holmes in another trial scheduled to begin early next year.
He and Holmes ended their relationship in May 2016 after she moved out of the Silicon Valley home they shared for years while keeping their romantic relationship concealed.
Australian Associated Press
