Theranos founder to claim abuse by ex in fraud trial

The disgraced founder of the blood-testing startup Theranos plans to accuse her ex-boyfriend of abuse during her fraud trial.

That's according to legal papers published on Saturday.

Lawyers for Elizabeth Holmes said they planned to present evidence that Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani abused her emotionally and psychologically in a relationship that spanned more than a decade.

During that time, her company claimed its technology could enable a wide array of medical tests with a few drops of blood.

Theranos collapsed in March 2018 when she, Balwani and the $9 billion company were charged with fraud by U.S. regulators.

Both Holmes and Balwani, who was president of the start-up, have pleaded not guilty to charges they defrauded investors, doctors and patients

The court filings, submitted more than 18 months ago, hint at a possible defense strategy for Holmes with jury selection in her fraud trial set to start next week.

The filings indicate Holmes intends to blame Balwani alleging he exerted control over her through the abusive relationship.

Thus raising the question of whether she knew that financial information provided to investors and others was false.

Balwani, whose case is being handled separately, has denied the allegations.