More details emerge in Elizabeth Holmes' Theranos trial

A former lab director at Theranos acknowledged on Friday that he had plenty of opportunities to address his concerns about the company’s technology with former CEO Elizabeth Holmes.

Adam Rosendorff joined Theranos as a lab director in 2013. He testified that he felt the healthcare start-up would become the next Apple. A year later, Rosendorff quit after growing uncomfortable and concerned with the high failure rate of the company’s blood-testing technology.

Rosendorff has emerged as the government’s most critical witness yet. He said that Holmes knew the lab machines were not working as they advertised but pushed ahead with the launch. Under cross-examination on Friday, he told jurors he was “becoming frustrated in my inability to explain discrepant results” when he quit.

This was the fourth week of trial for Holmes, who is fighting 12 charges of wire fraud and conspiracy. Prosecutors allege Holmes and Balwani engaged in a decade-long, multi-million dollar scheme to defraud investors and patients. Holmes and Balwani have pleaded not guilty. Balwani will be tried separately next year.

A defense attorney for Holmes, Lance Wade, has been cross examining Rosendorff for three days trying to poke holes in his recounting of events while he was lab director. Wade cited several emails from physicians who complained about their patients receiving inaccurate test results and Rosendorff was slow to respond.

In an October 2014 email, a doctor wrote to Theranos customer service complaining about his patient who received a concerning test result. The physician asked to speak with Rosendorff.

Rosendorff replied that he would call. But Wade pointed out that a week went by and Rosendorff forgot to return the doctor’s call.

“Everyone makes mistakes,” Wade said.

“Sure,” Rosendorff replied.

Wade also presented internal emails between Rosendorff, Holmes and her top executive Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani which showed that the executives were addressing his concerns.

Balwani wrote a lengthy email in October 2014 addressing the physician who was inquiring about the inaccurate test results for his patient. “Despite all of our best efforts, there will be results that are unexpected,” Balwani wrote to Rosendorff and Holmes.

“No lab is perfect, right?” Wade asked.

“Yes,” replied Rosendorff.

“Every lab makes some errors,” Wade said.

Wade also pointed to a May 2014 meeting Rosendorff had with Holmes about the wide range of hCG results he was getting from the tests. “She seemed pretty calm about the whole thing, she didn’t seem to share my level of alarm,” Rosendorff said.

However Wade pointed to an email that Holmes sent to Balwani about the questionable hCG test results. “How did that happen?” Holmes asked.

Rosendorff was a primary source for former Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou, according to earlier testimony in the trial. Carreyrou broke the Theranos scandal, revealing major accuracy problems with the company in 2015.

In a court filing on Friday, Carreyrou’s attorney argued that he should not be excluded from attending the trial. Carreyrou appears on Holmes’ witness list but has not been subpoenaed. Witnesses are typically prohibited from hearing testimony from other witnesses in the case.

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[SteveSmith-otvk]

How can you trust someone who even fakes their own voice?

[Highley]

If Holmes had founded Apple, their only product would be a box with a button and if you push the button it makes a fart sound.

[uweheinrich]

If any sentence length shall be correlated to Holmes ego size, she needs to go to jail for 1000 years.

[IvarDaigon]

Imagine Steve jobs getting a blood test at Theranos and then being told he doesn't have cancer...
First they think you're crazy, then they fight you, then you go court and then you go to jail.

[Tker]

Two biggest things I learned from hearing about this. Patients that had diseases for years, suddenly tested negative-due to faulty testing-and stopped medication they really needed. Patients testing for STD's negatively-when they really had it-allowed them to pass to partners. Lock her up.

[uooby]

Having a journal always seems to turn out bad for people when it comes to court.

[Tia-Marie]

I wonder how much help with scamming she got from her old Enron Dad.

[gilamonster]

Let this be a lesson, " the fake it till you make it" should never be applied when it comes to people's health and quality of life.

[uweheinrich]

and blaming the bf or your employees will not work. She did it because she wanted fame, fortune and recognition without doing the work nor applying proven science, principles, morals and ethics. She is the worst kind that there is.

[lowtiertactical]

Any company that I go to for work now. The first minute it ceases to be all they promised it would be, I leave.

[LoneTinaja]

Ol’ Tex says a rattlesnake is more trustworthy than Elizabeth Holmes.

[robertc]

First they think she's crazy, then the medical establishment and government fights her, then she GOES TO JAIL! ha ha ha

[PungiFungi]

Still holding hands outside of court. Get a new act, Liz. Try cartwheeling in and out of court. That might generate some real sympathy.

[susancorgi]

She only wanted to be cool like steve jobs without the hard work and caring about her product or service.

[JConestar]

Her fake voice and persona give me chills, and personally I would hate to work with someone like that.

[adamh.]

“First they think you’re crazy, then they fight you, then you go to prison.” —Elizabeth Holmes in her deepest man voice

[ShakespeareCafe]

Who's paying her legal bills? They must be in the millions already for a 4 month trial. Did she spirit away Theranos cash?

[nicolelivington]

She's going down, she should have just taken a plea deal !!

[David-zvem]

Every time Steve Job's name is mentioned with her name, he turns over in his grave, and he is getting tired of doing it over and over.

[desiloader]

First you talk normal, then u get bunch of VC funding, then all of a sudden u have baritone