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Erin Griffith

Weber called Elizabeth Holmes to tell her Pfizer wasn’t going to work with Theranos. In an email to a colleague, he said “I was polite clear crisp and patiently firm as she pushed back.” Writes that Holmes asked for other names at Pfizer to talk to and he “politely deflected.”

 

Erin Griffith

The document further lists six technical due diligence questions that Weber asked Theranos execs on a phone call, and concludes their answers were “oblique, deflective or evasive non-informative answers.”

 

Erin Griffith

Most of Weber’s answers have been very technical and full of jargon sure to confuse jurors but that list of adjectives hits pretty hard. (Defense tried to object.)

 

Erin Griffith

Further in his summary, Weber says Theranos’s conclusions are “not believable” and calls the company’s answers to due diligence questions “non-informative, tangential, deflective or evasive”

 

Erin Griffith

(Recall that last week we saw a document with Pfizer’s logo on it that implied that the company validated Theranos’s technology, which Holmes used to solicit investment from Walgreens and others)

 

Erin Griffith

After talking with Elizabeth Holmes and reviewing a bunch of documents (including a patent), Weber created a summary report on the use of Theranos technology. Believe this is the report the defense didn’t want shown to jurors, and the judge allowed Page 1. Weber’s recommendation: “Theranos does not at this time have any diagnostic or clinical interest to Pfizer.”

 

Erin Griffith

We begin with a series of emails establishing why Weber was involved with Theranos at Pfizer — his role was to make a recommendation to the company about its technology. “We were looking for diagnostic capabilities that would open the door for more effective intake of patients.”

 

Erin Griffith

The U.S. has called Shane Weber, who was a scientist at Pfizer. He is speaking loudly and clearly into the mic and for that I thank him. 🙏

 

Erin Griffith

Sounds like we’ll be hearing from our first investor (aside from Walgreens): Brian Tolbert of the investment firm Hall Group is likely to testify today.

 

Erin Griffith

🩸 Back in court for the fraud trial of Elizabeth Holmes. It is rainy, the prosecution plans to call four witnesses today, and the press corp is typing every so carefully after being scolded for distracting a juror with our keyboards.

 

Erin Griffith

As usual, we are starting late because the lawyers are fighting over admitting a document and there is an issue with a juror.

 

Erin Woo

Edlin is excused, and we are breaking for the day. Erin Griffith will be in the courtroom on Friday when trial resumes.

 

Erin Woo

Edlin on his choice to leave: “In the year after the initial WSJ articles came out, the company claimed that it would be able to prove that the technology worked and prove that those claims were not true. The company was unable to convince anyone that those claims were untrue and that its technology and science worked. That gave me serious doubts as to whether the company was capable of proving its technology worked.” He came to the conclusion they would never be able to…