SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A judge is deciding whether to grant a prominent venture capital firm’s request to litigate a sexual harassment lawsuit behind closed doors.
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Harold Kahn has scheduled a hearing Friday to consider Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfied & Byers request to move Ellen Pao’s lawsuit from court to arbitration, which are usually litigated confidentially.
Pao is a junior partner at the Menlo Park, Calif. firm. She filed a lawsuit in May alleging senior partners ignored her complaints that a spurned romantic interest at the firm was harassing her.
Pao also claims a male-dominated culture at the firm actively blocked her from advancing to more lucrative and prestigious positions. The firm denies Pao’s allegations in a lawsuit that is the talk of Silicon Valley.
