After weathering months of accusations that she had lied to get money for her blood testing start-up, Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes, the founder who is on trial for fraud, sharpened her defense on Monday.
In her second day of testimony, she was asked questions by her lawyers to push back against the prosecutions claims that she cheated investors, patients and doctors.
The idea was to show that there was a truth to some of the misrepresentations that prosecutors have shown.
The main rebuttals were here.
One of the key allegations against Ms.Holmes is that she claimed that Theranos technology had been thoroughly tested by 10 of the world's 15 largest pharmaceutical companies.
Prosecutors said that was not true. The reports Theranos sent to investors gave the young start-up credibility and helped convince them to invest.
Ms.Holmes painted a different picture on Monday. She testified that Theranos worked with pharmaceutical companies. There were studies published in a peer-reviewed journal. The lawyer for Ms. Holmes did not name which one.
The questioning allowed Ms. Holmes to focus on the early successes of Theranos and the conversations she had with potential partners. Ms.Holmes didn't address her claims about Theranos's successes and the reports which seemed to give Theranos approval from pharmaceutical companies.
She tried to shift blame during her testimony. She said she learned about the technology from people who worked in the lab. She said she believed them when they said the technology worked. The implication is that Ms. Holmes didn't intend to deceive investors if she thought the technology was real.
We thought this was a really big idea.
There are 11 counts of fraud against Ms. Holmes. She has denied the charges. She could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
