‘Still in Shock’

When Lane asked her what she wanted him to do about the hotel room incident with Nazre, Vassallo said she didn’t know because she was “still in shock.”

“I expected someone to come back to me with some next steps, but nothing,” Vassallo testified.

Vassallo also praised the firm, telling the outside investigator who probed her sexual harassment complaint that it was a “dream job” and “awesome place” to work. She said she was told in 2012 that she wouldn’t receive a promotion to general partner, though later that year she did receive the title. Pao’s lawsuit was filed in May 2012.

Kleiner contends Pao never complained that Nazre harassed her until she hired a lawyer five years after their consensual affair. An investigation determined that Pao’s claims were meritless, Kleiner has said.

The firm denies her treatment was related to her gender. Rather, she lacked leadership skills, didn’t like her job, clashed with co-workers and was advised to leave because she performed poorly, Kleiner said in court filings.

“She didn’t succeed because she didn’t have the necessary skills for that job, she didn’t come close,” Lynne Hermle, an attorney for Kleiner, told the jury during her opening argument Tuesday. “Despite her belief that she was outstanding in those areas, the evidence will show that’s just not true.”

First Witness

Vassallo was the first witness at the trial, which is expected to last as long as five weeks. The trial will feature testimony from Kleiner’s most senior executives, including John Doerr, Ted Schlein, Mary Meeker and Lane, as the firm seeks to show that it has long been a champion of women and Pao’s failure at Kleiner was performance-related.

Pao is now interim chief executive officer of Reddit Inc.

Nazre, who left Kleiner in 2012 and works in India, said before the trial started that Kleiner has denied Pao’s allegations about him and referred questions about the case to the firm. He isn’t a defendant in the case.

Vassallo is a strategic adviser and former general partner at Kleiner, according to the Menlo Park, California-based firm’s website.

Christina Lee, a Kleiner spokeswoman, declined to comment about Vassallo’s testimony.

The case is Pao v. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers LLC, CGC-12-520719, California Superior Court (San Francisco).
 

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