Top Silicon Valley firm cleared in landmark sex bias case

A California jury rejected charges of gender discrimination against a prominent venture capital firm in a case seen as a proxy trial of Silicon Valley sex bias.

The state court jury found Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers (KPCB) did not discriminate against Ellen Pao, who claimed she was fired after complaining about bias at the firm that notably backed Amazon, Facebook and Google.

"It never occurred to me for a second that a careful and attentive jury like this would find discrimination or retaliation," KPCB lawyer Lynne Hermle said on Friday after stepping victorious from the courtroom.

Jurors deliberated for slightly more than two days before handing a victory to the iconic Silicon Valley venture capital firm.

"We hammered out all the little things … nitpicked and whittled them down as best we could," said juror Marshalette Ramsey, adding the panel repeatedly went over displays entered as evidence.

Ramsey noted she was on Pao's side in the jury room, saying it appeared to her that when criticisms in job reviews cited similar character traits, men were promoted but women were not.

Pao's lawyers painted the 45-year-old woman as an innocent victim of sexual discrimination common at the esteemed venture capital firm. But KPCB attorneys sought to portray Pao as a calculating schemer burning with resentment and with a thirst for a quick buck.