Elizabeth Holmes’ trial is delayed because she is pregnant

Former Theranos chief executive Elizabeth Holmes, whose criminal justice trial is set to begin in July, has called for a postponement because she is pregnant.

In a court report on Friday, her defenders and prosecutors asked Judge Edward Davila to delay the start of her trial by six weeks to begin on August 31, 2021.

“On March 2, 2021, the defendant’s attorney notified the government that the accused was pregnant, with an expected deadline in July 2021,” Holmes’ prosecutors and attorneys wrote. “Both parties agree that in the light of this development it is not feasible to start the trial on 13 July 2021.”

No other details were immediately available.

The trial has already been delayed three times due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Holmes’ legal team was prepared to address the issue of mental health as part of its defense strategy. In an earlier case, Holmes’ attorneys wrote that they intended to establish evidence related to a mental illness or defect or any other mental condition of the accused related to the issue of guilt.

This includes expert testimony from dr. Mindy Mechanic, a professor of clinical psychology at California State University in Fullerton, who according to the University’s website focuses on the psychosocial consequences of violence, trauma and victimization with an emphasis on violence against women and other forms of interpersonal violence. “

The judge gave federal prosecutors the ability to conduct their own investigation into Holmes’ mental health and be examined by two experts, a psychologist and a psychiatrist.

Holmes and her former chief operating officer, Sunny Balwani, are each facing dozens of criminal charges and 20 years in prison for falsely claiming that Theranos technology can perform dozens of blood tests with just a drop or two of blood.

The launch of Silicon Valley was once valued at $ 9 billion before being halted in 2018.