Jurors who will decide the outcome of a gender discrimination lawsuit against a prestigious Silicon Valley venture capital firm are set to hear more closing arguments on Wednesday, a day after attorneys painted competing portraits of the woman behind the suit. Lawyers for Ellen Pao and Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers said Pao was either an accomplished junior partner who was passed over for a promotion because of discrimination or a failure who sued to get a big payout as she was being shown the door. Company lawyer Lynne Hermle challenged Pao’s claim that she sued to help women facing gender discrimination at the firm. Kleiner Perkins has said Pao was a chronic complainer who twisted facts and circumstances in her lawsuit and had a history of conflicts with colleagues that contributed to the decision to let her go. Hermle showed jurors a slide with comments from Pao’s work reviews that called her ‘territorial’ and ‘not a good teammate.’ The lawyer said the men promoted over Pao had prior venture capital experience and had founded companies, unlike Pao. A judge ruled over the weekend that Pao can seek punitive damages that could add millions of dollars to a possible verdict in her favor. She is seeking $16 million in lost wages and bonuses.
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