[Lifestyle] Elizabeth Holmes resists government efforts to detail her CEO lifestyle

[#Hassan.]

 

Elizabeth Holmes’ attorneys strongly pushed back against the government’s attempts to detail her extravagant lifestyle before a jury, saying the move “risks invoking class prejudice” that is irrelevant to her criminal case.

Holmes, who is facing a dozen criminal wire fraud charges, earned a salary and benefits commensurate with her position as CEO of Theranos, her attorneys wrote in court documents filed late Tuesday.

The government has argued that Holmes’ high-flying lifestyle was fueled by her fraud.

Her attorneys say that’s simply untrue.

They write the evidence says nothing about her motive, “if it did any CEO could be said to have a motive to commit fraud. Rather the real value of the evidence to the government is to paint a (misleading) picture of Ms. Holmes as a woman who prioritized fashion, a luxurious lifestyle, and fame, and to invite a referendum on startup and corporate culture.”

Introducing details of Holmes’ spending, her attorneys wrote, would be a waste of time, adding that her so-called luxurious travel accommodations appear to be approved by the Theranos board and justified by a busy travel schedule.

“Evidence regarding the purchase of expensive clothing, makeup and self-care products, and other goods (again, none of which are alleged to be beyond her means), which the government intends to introduce through otherwise irrelevant emails by Ms. Holmes’ personal assistants, does not establish a motive to commit fraud” Holmes’ attorneys wrote, adding that it instead “seeks to inflame by appealing to stereotypes of class and gender.”