Elizabeth Holmes alleges ex-boyfriend and Theranos partner abused her

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes claims she suffered a “decade-long campaign of psychological abuse” from her former boyfriend and business partner.

Alleged fraudster Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, claims she suffered a “decade-long campaign of psychological abuse” from her former boyfriend and business partner Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani.

Ms Holmes’ lawyers said in a court filings unsealed over the weekend that they plan to introduce evidence in her trial this week that Mr Balwani “controlled what [Holmes] ate, how she dressed, and how much money she could spend, who she could interact with – essentially dominating her and erasing her capacity to make decisions”.

The lawyers said Mr Balwani, former Theranos vice-chair, COO, and president, also restricted Holmes’ sleep, monitored her movements and insisted “that any success she achieved was because of him”.

Holmes alleges that former boyfriend and Theranos COO, Ramesh Balwani, psychologically abused her for several years. Picture: Kimberly White/Getty Images North America/AFP

The relationship amounted to “intimate partner abuse,” the lawyers wrote, adding that “Holmes is likely to testify herself to the reasons why she believed, relied on and deferred to Mr Balwani”.

He has denied the allegations, with his lawyer calling them “deeply offensive” and “devastating personally” to Mr Balwani, who is set to be tried separately next year for his involvement with Theranos.

The recently unsealed filings offer insight into how Holmes plans to defend herself against charges of defrauding investors at her high-profile trial, which begins on Tuesday in California.

The documents indicate that at least part of Holmes’ defence will rely on convincing the jury that her allegedly abusive relationship with Mr Balwani impacted her state of mind, which led her to turn a blind eye to the shortcomings of her blood-testing start-up.

Ramesh Balwani called Elizabeth Holmes’ allegations ‘deeply offensive’ and ‘devastating personally’. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP

The US Department of Justice charged Ms Holmes and Mr Balwani in 2018, accusing them of defrauding investors, medical professionals, and customers. Both have denied the charges.

Before her arrest, Holmes – a Steve Jobs wannabe who dressed exclusively in black turtlenecks as she talked up her blood-testing unicorn – at one point scored a more than $9 billion valuation for Theranos.

Her company claimed to be able to detect medical conditions like cancer by using their new technology on a tiny sample of customers’ blood.

But the company’s claims, its sky-high valuation and Holmes’ celebrity status came crashing down after a 2015 Wall Street Journal story that said her blood tests were being conducted by commercial analysers, and that the actual technology wasn’t special.

Holmes has denied the fraud charges. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America/AFP

That day, Holmes went on CNBC’s Mad Money with Jim Cramer to rebuff the charges, and claimed the paper was out to stifle innovation.

“First they call you crazy, then they fight you, then you change the world,” she said on CNBC, paraphrasing a quote that’s often misattributed to Mahatma Gandhi.

This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission