Fmr. Theranos Lab Director Testifies He Warned Holmes About Faulty Blood-Testing Technology
SAN JOSE (KPIX) -- As week three of the Elizabeth Holmes fraud trial wrapped up in San Jose federal court, testimony zeroed in on what she knew about her company's faulty, blood-testing technology and how she went ahead with plans to launch the product anyway.
Former Theranos lab director, Dr. Adam Rosendorff, told the jury that in his opinion, Theranos was "more interested in public relations and raising money than it was in caring for patients."
He said he met Holmes in her office in 2013 to warn her that several blood tests on the Theranos machines could not be validated just days before they were to launch in Walgreens and be used on actual patients.
He said Holmes was not her normal self and seemed upset and nervous. But she moved ahead with the launch anyway.
"What the government has to do here is not rely on just one whistleblower witness. It's the number of voices coming forward warning Holmes and Balwani of the problems at Theranos that's highly relavent," said Steve Clark, a former prosecutor and legal analyst.
Rosendorff said he began fielding complaints from patients and their doctors about questionable results, including one patient who was told she miscarried when she was pregnant with a healthy
fetus.
"This isn't just about people losing money now, we're talking about people who's lives were in danger due to the technology problems at Theranos," Clark said.
Prosecutors then showed emails in which Holmes was cc'd showing how her then boyfriend and business partner Sunny Balwani directed the lab team to use Siemens blood test devices instead of their own.
"This is suggestive that this is out and out fraud when you bait and switch the technology that you're using and purporting to the public that it's yours," Clark said.
Dr. Rosendorff said he ended up leaving the company, but not before he saved company emails to his personal account in case he needed them for a court case.
The trial resumes on Monday.