Mental and Sexual Abuse: Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos Inc. Lays it all on Ex-Boyfriend Ramesh ‘Sunny’ Balwani

Ramesh ‘Sunny’ Balwani wanted her to be the “New Elizabeth,” like the Tudor Queen, but he turned out to be the Earl of Essex who betrayed and abused the Theranos Queen. That is more or less the essence of Elizabeth Holmes’s testimony against her ex-boyfriend and partner.

Holmes, the founder and chief executive of Theranos Inc., a private health care and life sciences company, who’s facing several fraud charges, has accused Balwani of emotionally and sexually abusing her, which apparently compromised her judgment during the time of the alleged crimes. The much-anticipated testimony was heard on Nov. 29, in an attempt to refute accusations that she lied about a flawed blood-testing technology, which she had touted as a major breakthrough. 

She blamed Balwani for allegedly exploiting, using and misleading her. Holmes was 18 when she met Balwani, then 38, during a trip to China. She told the court that what began as a professional relationship eventually turned amorous. The two became romantically involved in 2005 before Balwani became the chief operating officer at Theranos, a position he held from 2009 to 2016. They were together for 12 years. 

In an effort to blame Balwani for her mental state during the times she committed fraud, Holmes testified that her rape at Stanford played a role in her being subservient to Balwani. She told the court that after the incident, she stopped attending classes and immersed herself into building her company instead. “I was questioning what — how I was going to be able to process that experience and what I wanted to do with my life,” she told the court, according to news reports. “I decided that I was going to build a life by building this company.” Holmes mentioned that later when she told Balwani the trauma of her rape at Stanford, he told her she was safe, now that had met him.

But the picture she painted of her ex-boyfriend was far from being a safety anchor for her. She told the court that he berated her and controlled her. When he was upset with her, he forced her to have sex with him, to show her that he loved her. “He told me that I didn’t know what I was doing in business, that my convictions were wrong, that he was astonished at my mediocrity,” she said, adding that he told her that she needed “to kill the person” if she was to become successful. “He felt like I came across as a little girl and thought I needed to be more serious and more pointed.” 

The picture she painted of her ex-boyfriend was far from being a safety anchor for her. She told the court that he berated her and controlled her. When he was upset with her, he forced her to have sex with him, to show her that he loved her.

Holmes explained that Balwani had demanded that she follow rules he laid out for her like spending at least 30 minutes each morning writing out her daily goals and never spending more than five minutes meeting with anyone unless she had written down a reason justifying the additional time. If she didn’t do what Balwani said, Holmes said, he would yell and tell her he was “so disappointed in my mediocrity.”

At other times, Holmes said, Balwani would liken her to a “monkey flying a spaceship” and tried to cut her off from her family in an alleged effort to ensure that she devoted herself full-time to Theranos. She also said he controlled her diet in an attempt to keep her “pure.” She told the court that Balwani “wasn’t who I thought he was,” and that he “impacted everything about who I was and I don’t fully understand that.”

During Holmes’ testimony on Nov. 29, prosecutors released more texts between her and Balwani, which shed light on their past relationship and efforts to keep Theranos afloat amid scrutiny. Business Insider describes the texts, sent from 2013 to 2016, as “mundane, including flight details and food orders, to the zealous.”

The lovers exchanged sweet nothings and expressed their love for each other, while some messages, sent after Balwani’s departure from the company in May 2016, show him giving Holmes a pep talk on keeping Theranos alive amid scrutiny from federal regulators and the media. “Your presence on earth is proof of God’s presence. Stay strong and focus on building business and turning the negative around thru science and publications and submissions,” Balwani said in June 2016. “I completely agree with that plan,” Holmes sent back, along with a happy face.

In another message, also sent in June 2016, he tells her to not give up on her dreams. “Keep focused and keep fighting. Plan, focus, stay organized and stay in control. One person who has a plan and executes can defeat an army. I know what you are thinking and going thru. Control your thoughts and don’t let fear control you. Breathe and in every hour be conscious of your breath and breathe out fear. Whatever you decide and whatever happens is in God’s hands. But your focus, attention, thoughts and breath is in your control,” Balwani added. “I love this,” Holmes responded.

When asked if Balwani forced her to make statements to investors, retailers, board directors and journalists that jurors have heard about in the course of this case, she testified no to all. 

Holmes, now 37, had founded Theranos in 2003 as a 19-year-old college dropout and was hailed and celebrated as a Silicon Valley whiz-kid. The Palo Alto, California-based Theranos was aiming to revolutionize medical laboratory testing through allegedly innovative methods for drawing blood, testing blood, and interpreting the resulting patient data to improve outcomes and lower health care costs.

Holmes and Balwani were originally charged in June 2018 on two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and nine counts of wire fraud. According to the indictment unsealed on June 15, 2018, Holmes and Balwani had engaged in a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud investors and a separate scheme to defraud doctors and patients, and both schemes entailed promotion. If convicted, each of them could face 20 years in prison and fines of $250,000, plus restitution, for each count of wire fraud and for each conspiracy count. 

The trial has been delayed multiple times by the COVID-19 pandemic and by the birth of Holmes’ child on July 10 of this year. Balwani faces similar charges in a separate trial scheduled for next year.