London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Jury in Elizabeth Holmes trial fails to reach a verdict for second straight week

Jury in Elizabeth Holmes trial fails to reach a verdict for second straight week

The high-profile criminal fraud trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes will officially resume in 2022.

The jury of eight men and four women concluded their deliberations for the year on Wednesday, capping off their second week with the case without reaching a verdict.

Deliberations, which have so far spanned 44 hours over six days, are scheduled to resume Monday in a San Jose federal courthouse after the New Year.

On deliberation days, members of the public and the press lined up outside the courthouse in the early hours of the morning in order to get one of the limited seats inside Judge Edward Davila's courtroom, the judge presiding, should the jury return a verdict.

The courtroom, however, remained closed unless there was a note from the jury to be read, or a verdict. That meant several long days of waiting in the hallway outside the courtroom for the coterie of nearly three dozen people — mainly journalists — awaiting the verdict. While there is a separate, empty courtroom made available for waiting, most opt for the hallway to keep an eye on any comings and goings to Davila's courtroom.

Unlike the first week of deliberations, when jurors asked to hear back audio recordings of a call where Holmes is heard pitching investors, they did not have any notes with requests to review evidence in the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Legal experts say it is hard to know if there's anything that can be read into how the jurors are deliberating and where they may stand in returning a verdict.

"It's a really mysterious process," said Henry E. Hockeimer, Jr., a white-collar defense attorney at Ballard Spahr LLP and a former federal prosecutor. "With the length of the trial and the complexity, I don't think it's that outrageous that they're [deliberating] this long."

"It's a long trial. A long trial, unless it's just a slam dunk, will result in pretty long deliberations," said Hockeimer, who added that jurors who are part of a long trial, and especially a high-profile federal trial at that, are typically committed. "They take their obligations seriously."

According to Shan Wu, a criminal defense lawyer and a former federal prosecutor, "it's actually not unusual to have very few notes."

"I would say they are comfortable with what they've been given... and they're just taking their time going through it," added Wu, noting that Holmes' testimony, which spanned seven court days, "gives them a lot to mull over."

Minutes from the court for Tuesday revealed a 23-minute proceeding shortly after 11 a.m. local time attended by the judge presiding over the case as well as attorneys for both the defense and the prosecution. But the court ordered the proceedings sealed and declined to share further details on what it pertained to. The following day, Wednesday, two sealed documents made their way to the court docket.

Holmes faces 11 federal fraud charges over allegations that she knowingly misled investors, doctors and patients about her company's blood testing capabilities in order to take their money and prevent Theranos from failing.

If convicted by the jury, Holmes faces up to 20 years in prison as well as a fine of $250,000 plus restitution for each count of wire fraud and each conspiracy count. She has pleaded not guilty.

The high-profile trial began more than three months ago, with much of that time taken up by the government's case and the 29 witnesses it called to testify. The defense called three witnesses, culminating in testimony from Holmes herself.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×