A California jury on Friday cleared the venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield and Byers of gender discrimination claims that had been brought against it by a former female partner in a trial that transfixed Silicon Valley.
After further deliberation, the jury also cleared Kleiner on a claim that the firm had retaliated against the former partner, Ellen Pao, by terminating her employment after she sued in 2012.
Despite days of courtroom drama about affairs, books of erotic poetry and office flirting, juror Steve Sammut, who mostly voted for Kleiner, said the decision came down to Pao's effectiveness at her job. "We were focused on the performance," he said.