 SAN FRANCISCO — Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the venture capital firm, is offering a new deal to the former associate who unsuccessfully sued the firm, accusing it of gender discrimination: Promise not to pursue this case any further or pay us $1 million. Meanwhile the court, which covers San Francisco and 11 other Northern California counties, handed victory to employers in more than half of the cases they lost in the lower courts, reversing 10 of 18 cases. The firm said the case, which drew an abundance of unfavorable attention to its inner workings and the fate of women in Silicon Valley, cost it $972,815 in witness fees, deposition and court reporter costs. “We believe that women in technology would be best served by having all parties focus on making progress on the issues of gender diversity outside of continued litigation,” said Christina Lee, a Kleiner spokeswoman. The spokeswoman said the team will respond at the same time to Kleiner’s claim that it attempted to settle the case but that Pao’s team never responded. Kleiner has offered to waive its legal costs should Pao choose not to appeal, according to firm spokeswoman Christina Lee. In its filing, Kleiner also revealed it offered to settle the case with Pao before it went to trial, offering her almost $1 million, but it said Pao’s lawyers didn’t respond.
– Even though Ellen Pao lost her gender-discrimination suit against a former employer, she's still widely hailed as a hero for bringing the boys' club atmosphere of Silicon Valley under a microscope. But now she's got a tough choice on her hands: The venture-capital firm she sued, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, says she owes almost $1 million in legal fees—but it will drop its pursuit of the money if she doesn't appeal last month's ruling, reports the Wall Street Journal. Pao's attorneys say they will have a decision in a few weeks. Kleiner Perkins says it offered Pao about $1 million as a settlement before the trial began, but received no response from her legal team. Because of that offer, the company can now go after Pao for expensive witness fees, explains the New York Times. One factor that will surely weigh on the decision: A review of previous cases suggests that Pao has only a slim chance of winning on appeal, reports Reuters.