a victory and a defeat for former employee ellen powell. >> the jury deliver add sweeping rejection ofowell's claims of sex discrimination. scott budman has reaction to the verdict but we begin with mark mathews covering the trial since the beginning. he's live in san francisco with more mark? >> reporter: in 40 years of reporting i've never seen anything quite like this. the jury announced they had a verdict. called everybody back to the court at 2:00 this afternoon. everybody lined up. the jury verdict came in, but then as the jurors were polled the judge realized that actually they didn't have the nine votes required on one of the claims that ellen powell was making. he had to send the jury back in to deb liberations for another 25 30 minutes before they finally came back out and delivered a sweeping victory to perkins and a big defeat to ellen powell in her discrimination claim. right after the verdict was delivered, ellen powell left the courtroom and she was followed shortly by the lead attorney for perkins. we'll hear from both of

ellen powell took the stand. powell claims she was fired from the legendary venture capital film after she claimed to be sexually harassed by a partner. she admitted to having an affair with that partner. mark joins us from san francisco. mark? >> reporter: the past couple of weeks we've been hearing from other witnesses saying that ellen powell was a quiet woman that could not hold a room. today she spoke up a nearly packed courtroom listening to every turn in her story. the ivy league educated ellen powell with a law degree mba from harvard and electrical engineering degree from princeton, talked about the loosey-goosey way cliner perkins handled her reports of sexual harassment. on the stand, powell testified that a senior partner gave her a book of erotic poetry for valentine's day, then invited her out to dinner while mentioning his wife would be out of town. that story paled in comparison as by what powell said was the relentless pursuit of a co-work he that had an affair an affair that ended after she lear

ellen powell should be cheepedded for -- commended for that.ow the companies will think twice about leaving their eeo policy in a desk drawer. >> felicia medina specializes in discrimination cases. she says it will set a precedent involving their rights. >>> powell took to twitter after the decision came down. she posted a resons over nine tweets. the first thing simply thank you, world. she went on to write "hopefully my case will inspire the venture capital industry to level the playing field for everyone including women and minorities. although she lost her case, many are taking to social media to thank powell for shining a light on the issue. thousands of tweets have been posted in the past few hours. >>> the beating of a homeless man caught on video had the homeless and their advocates protesting on the streets of berkeley. abc7 news alan wang explains how two city ambassadors hired to help the homeless ended up abusing 24e78 instead. instead. >> they claim this video reveals the routine harassment and physical abuse by the berkeley ambass

ellen powell should be cheepedded for -- commended for that. now the companies will think twice about leaving their eeo policy in a desk drawer. >> felicia medina specializes in discrimination cases. she says it will set a precedent involving their rights. >>> powell took to twitter after the decision came down. she posted a resons over nine tweets. the first thing simply thank you, world. she went on to write "hopefully my case will inspire the venture capital industry to level the playing field for everyone including women and minorities. although she lost her case, many are taking to media to thank powell for shining a light on the issue. thousands of tweets have been posted in the past few hours. >>> the beating of a homeless man caught on video had the homeless and their advocates protesting on the streets of berkeley. abc7 news alan wang explains how two city ambassadors hired to help the homeless ended up abusing 24e78 instead. instead. >> they claim this video reveals the routine harassment and physical abuse by the berkeley ambassadors

ellen powell should be cheepedded for -- commended for that. now the companies will think twice about leaving their eeo policy in a desk drawer. >> felicia medina specializes in discrimination cases. she says it will set a precedent involving their rights. >>> powell took to twitter after the decision came down. she posted a resons over nine tweets. the first thing simply thank you, world. she went on to write "hopefully my case will inspire the venture capital industry to level the playing field for everyone including women and minorities. although she lost her case, many are taking to social media to thank powell for shining a light on the issue. thousands of tweets have been posted in the past few hours. >>> the beating of a homeless man caught on video had the homeless and their advocates protesting on the streets of berkeley. abc7 news alan wang explains how two city ambassadors hired to help the homeless ended up abusing 24e78 instead. instead. >> they claim this video reveals the routine harassment and physical abuse by the berkeley amba

ellen powell case? >> i don't know a lot about the details. >> reporter: we are about to get a verdict. >> i know a lot of folks down there, but not the details. >> reporter: do you think because of this some tech companies may be less likely to hire women. >> we follow part of it but it's not part of the dinner conversations about being a backlash. i don't sense that. others may disagree. >>> there's a price tag when it comes to domestic violence costing $5.8 million every year, according to world bang. $4 million in medical expenses and lost productivity. we have been investigating the story. >> reporter: we got married. i had a masters degree and made more money than he did. like many women, i gave that up when we had children. then i started to feel that kind of control creeping in. >> reporter: a control that would leave the successful financial professional - we'll call her amy, trapped by a form of domestic abuse that she didn't recognise. >> he would have app elaborate scope of passwords for the

now the jury is back in the deliberation room making a decision whether ellen powell was let go becauseshe had filed a lawsuit against her employers. by and large we get the sense that they have decided against ellen powell, there was no gender discrimination in her promotion or the fact that they let her go. >> even if the jury votes against ms. powell, will this make an impact on an industry that needs more women. >> you can imagine the h.r. departments are reviewing their hiring policies, and also how they promote employees. the stanford law professor said it best. >> i think this case is really a wake-up call to the venture capital industry and to silicon valley generally. it's a window on the kind of micro indignities that individually see small but cumulatively really get in the way of women's advance in the workforce. >> and some of those micron dignities that ellen powell brought up was the fact that they were all male social activities that excluded women from the firm. she was also romantically involved with a male colleague who ended up being her boss. all of these indignitie

closing arguments in ellen powell's potentially landmark sex discrimination case. those arguments understood way right now. the stakes just got a whole lot higher. we're going to be covering thatm story. >>>ve plus, i it seems like a sw of portfolio managers are screaming buy europe. well, someone's coming on to dis say, hey, not so fast, you want

the difference was they listened and improved while ellen powell rejected the criticism. she urged the jury to go over e-mails between powell and her colleagues and judge for themselves who had the antagonistic tone and the bad attitude. in rebuttal they stressed the positives in the performance reviews, even as late as 2011 a year before she was fired, managing partner john gore wrote, i don't know how a junior partner could have had a better year than ellen did, painting a picture of her as a woman who decided to take on the powerful venture capital firm in order to change the boys club culture. she said other women in the firm complained about being left out of dinner at al gore's apartment, but the reason they didn't join the complaint is taking on the powerful is very difficult to do. closing arguments and rebuttal ended before lunch, but the attorneys came back after lunch to take the unusual step of talking about items that they would intend to bring up on appeal including punitive damages in this case that could be nine times whatever the compensatory damages are,

it's being debated right now in the ellen powell lawsuit.ow profile ruling by the judge. scott, this big money trial just became bigger money potentially. >> it did. tech companies and venture capital firms are watching this case closely now as new charges surface, the potential money involved has gone way up. it's a decision that could be very expensive, and that might make the ellen powell case much larger than first thought. now that the judge in the case ruled the former venture capitalist can sue for punitive but about punishing the company. >> punishment to the tune of according to estimates as much as $160 million. enough say the experts, to scare other companies away from potential discrimination cases. >> so clearly, this is a bell weather case in terms of sending a message about gender discrimination in the financial industry. >> as well as the tech industry, which within the last few days has been hit with gender discrimination lawsuits filed against facebook and twitter. >> i think there's a fair number of women who work in silic

and why is the ellen powell case so signify?>> it's so signify was gender discrimination has always been illegal, but this is a moment when it's no longer accessible. >> but is there something particular in silicon valley that has people paying so much attention to it? >> of course. these companies are so important. if you look at some of the biggest ipos in the last ten years, technology is eating the world. so we care a lot about what happens in silicon valley. and we're seeing that they're absolutely a boy's club. the boy's club in silicon real is even worse in bc. we have seen the number of female partners go from 10% in $1.990 dismal 6% in 2015. >> what about the fact that 90% of the venture capitalists are men? because they will say there are not too many qualified women out there, and the trouble of lawsuits. >> there's definitely the argument being made by big companies that there aren't enough women. and they call it the pipeline problem, and i just don't think that's the case. there are plenty of qualified women out th

right after the verdict was delivered, ellen powell left the courtroom and she was followed shortly by the lead attorney for perkins. we'll hear from both of them right now starting with ellen powell. >> i have told my story and thousands of people have heard it. if i helped to level the playing field for women and minorities and venture capital, then the battle was wort it. now time for me to get to my career family and friends. thank you-all very much. >> it never occurred to me for a second that a careful and atentative jury like this would find discrimination or retaliation and i'm glad to have been proven right about that. so thank you-all. see you in the next trial. >> reporter: after that little bit of interview with the two principals we got a chance to talk to the jurors juror number one that voted for perkins and juror number two that voted for pao. >> it was difficult coming to a verdict. we were split there for awhile. we weren't sure how the votes would go. we try to look at as many aspects of the trial as we could. we try to be as fair as we could in terms of decision mak

battles are waged, including the gender discrimination lawsuit filed by ellen powell against her former employer. powell believes her colleagues receive promotions while she did not. >> this case is a wake up call to the venture capital industry and silicon valley. it's a window on the kind of microindignities that seem small but cumulatively get in the way of women's advance. lawyerens remembers a moment at her job where she was the first woman to be hired. >> when i walked in they were like here look we have a bathroom for women because we never needed one before. >> these days she and her cofounder are working to change the calculus with a social network for women in tech. >> more and more women are coming together for support either through start-ups like glass breakers but most are shy about speaking out publicly not wanting to be viewed as trouble makers. what they are entrepreneurs. when venture capitalist fail to invest in women, they are missing out potentially on financial returns. number then silicon valley is stuck in the past >>> the final act of richard iii was staged in e

began trending on twitter this reads thank you ellen powell for standing up for women in fact and bringing visibility to this issue. and here's another it says thank you ellen for taking a stand for the rest of us. inspiration to so many women working in this field. >> 2 vigil held night to honor san jose police officer michael johnson. one at san jose city hall and this one on center road where officer johnson was shot and killed. among those people the respect was the niece of the man who shot and killed officer johnson. you can see her shaking hands with officers. david louie has more. >> here to honor officers injured in the line of duty but everyone had the minds on officer michael johnson who lost his life tuesday evening. >> person who puts on the same uniform and takes on the same duties every day is no longer with us. make it very difficult. >> san jose exchange club opened annual police fire recognition luncheon with moment of silence for johnson. >> everyone is together every law enforcement in this agency in this county and actually around the state. sending their support and a

lawyers for the venture capital firm watched jurors through years of e-mails written by ellen powell. the woman suing the firm for $16 million. the purpose? to use her own words, against her. nbc bay area's mark matthews is live where powell was peppered on the witness stand today. mark? >> her third day on the witness stand was a tough one for ellen powell as her story was put up against the e-mails and notes she compiled at the firm. >> there were two major complaints of her lawsuit that she was pressured by a co-worker into a sexual relationship and retaliated against when she found out he was still married and that general partner, gave her a book of sexually suggestive poetry for valentine's day and invited her to dinner after mentioning his wife would be out of town. she showed powell receipts that the book of poetry was purchased by his wife and that randy is also buddhist and powell had previously given him a small buddha figure as a gift. she then asked if the dinner invitation came after she said she worked all weekend at the office. he said you should have called me, my wif

filed suit in may of 2012. >> ellen powell, her personality is really at stake in this case because her former co-workers are aringguing that she was really hard to work with and that's why she was fired. she's arguing that she didn't get the opportunities that she deserved because she's a woman. >> reporter: they also dug into claims that her partner gave her an inappropriate book of poetry and dinner invitation. he held up a small buddhist statue powell gave and powell agreed the poetry book was given after she gave this gift. during the lunch break hermly approached the judge about powell's motivation for the lawsuit. her husband went bankrupt and it's rumored the couple have financial troubles. previously powell's attorneys got that information barred from the trial. the judge said he'll rule on the motion tonight. in san francisco, tiffany wilson, abc 7 news. >>> late word from sacramento today the california board of education has suspended the state's accountability system to give teachers and students time to adjust to

. >>> we continue to await a verdict in the ellen powell case.cott is outside the courthouse with an update. >> reporter: what will a gender discrimination case be without a he said/she said. and there's no shortage of it in this case, what was the significance of a book that supposedly contained erotic poetry? what about a private plane ride that did or didn't include talk about important stars? well, at the end of the day, the jury asked a question about a particular and critical he said/she said in this case. the she is, of course, ellen powell, the former junior partner at the giant capital venture firm who allegations she was retaliated against in 2011 when first raising complaints she was being discriminated against because of her gender. the he is john door, the legendary senior partner who was ellen's boss and allegedly turned on her once she raised the complaints at the end of 2011. the jury asked to hear testimony read back to them from both powell and door about those conversations. powell, of course, remembered them distinctive in her

closing arguments began in the trial of ellen powell versus kleiner perkins.ell is suing the venture capital firm for sexual discrimination and retaliation. a lot is at stakes as much as $160 million as well as the reputation of a firm that really helped launch firms like google, twitter and amazon. our tech reporter joins us right now. what did you hear? >> we're in the closing arguments, and to onus is really on ellen pao's lawyers to prove that there was real discrimination here and that there was malice, you know, ill intent, cruelty that happened here and she was really injured in a big way, because that's where the $144 million in punitive damages comes into place. she could win up to $144 million some reale damages, and that's malice here, so that's really what they're trying to do. cheryl: so let's talk about this. we're not at, i think the punitive damages surprised us. now we're at 160. 144 million potentially in punitive damages, how much of a surprise was that to trial watchers like yourself that have been following this case from the beginning? be

ellen powell herself would not have settled, so they are forced to go to trial.y have 17 witnesses that went in and pointed to key points in her testimony, including the fact that women were left out of events and had high profile clients who said that wasn't the case. the defense has done a good job pulling a pallet -- pulling apart powell's testimony, so you will see both sides some of their strongest point. ellen pao will go in and her lawyers will say this is a firm that has not been good to women. they are going to talk about other instances where they felt ellen powell was left out of meetings and people do not handle their complaints about harassment and discrimination in the work lace. the fact they did not have a policy that is relatively available and could not find it when an investigator asked for it these are the kinds of things they're going to hammer on. they are going to reiterate statements from other employees who say they found a great place to work and importantly, they will reiterate the point that she was a problem child and was not a good w

a partner at cliner, perkins caulfield, and buyers was the mentor and boss to ellen powell. powell claims she was subjected to harassment after ending an affair with a colleague and is asking for $15 million. >>> oakland police are investigating the death of marcus west. he was shot and killed on his way to work this morning near noland park. abc 7's wayne friedman talked to neighbors who heard seven shots and said the victim of left to die in the street. >>> the family of jahi mcmath is suing children's hospital oakland. abc 7 talked to the family attorney who called the hospital's errors while treating the oakland teenager inexcusable. >>> and on capitol hill today israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu told congress that entering into u.s. nuclear talks with iran is a "very bad deal." his appearance was arranged solely by republican leaders. house democratic leader nancy pelosi says his speech was condescending condescending. abc's karen travers has more from washington, d.c. >> reporter: congress rolled out the welcome mat for israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu.

>> reporter: well, the trial changed dramatically as lynn hermy representing perkins got into ellen powell's version of events. often powell was -- her detailed answers coming on direct testimony today that tenor was down to just one or two-word answers. often she said she just couldn't remember. helen powell filing her lawsuit against perkins in 2012 while still working at the firm. she said she didn't try to publicize the case but attorney lynn hermy confronted the names of two reporters she lunched with in days following the filing both reporters were in the courtroom covering the trial. powell admit shed never asked to see the firm's discrimination and harassment policies until sometime in 2012. hermy then played a taped deposition where powell said she never asked to see the policies. powell testified that nazri pressured her into a sexual relationship then retaliated against her when she found out he was still living with his wife. he repeatedly said she engaged in sex with him and brought up detailed text messages with their flirtation. she kept messages between herself and nezri but

ellen powell in the courtroom appeared very calm after she heard the verdict from this jury that hadix men and six women evenly divided. some of them said today it was a very intense and emotional process. >> ellen powell left the state courthouse in san francisco having lost her $16 million gender discrimination case but still claiming victory for raising attention working women of silican valley. >> for people across the world who have reached out to express support, and telling me that my story is theirs too. >> reporter: as chief of staff for the firm's well known partner john doer had been her mentor but also testified that she cautioned powell about her difficulty working with others. they called the firm a boy's club. powell claims she outperformed male comments, was asked to take notes like a secretary and treated unfairly after an affair with a married male colleague. >> then the battle was worth it. >> reporter: attorneys for perkins say performance reviews, showed powell had conflicts and they pointed to other female employees who succeeded and did not have complaints. >>

. >> ellen powell her personality is really at stake in this case because her former co-workers are agreeing she was really hard to work with. and that's why she was fired. and she's arguing she didn't get the opportunities that she deserved because she was a woman. roars roars. >> reporter: during the launch break -- >> perkins is trying to argue that the reason ellen powell brought this case is because her family was in dire financial straits. >> reporter: the hedge fund went bankrupt right after she filed suit, and previously her attorneys got the information barred from the trial. the judge will decide on the new motion at 7:30 tonight. tiffany wilson abc 7 news. >>> a bay area fifth grader went back to school after he said he was bullied by another student. the 11-year-old nathan was knocked unconscious by another student at downer elementary in january. the alleged bully was suspended but went back to school. today nathan's mother told us after several meetings that student has finally been kicked out. >> he was ecstatic this morning. he was excited to get back to school. he's a very i

that is what the ellen powell case is about.hether she was treated differently than the male partners. cory: i want to get to the specifics of the case. i think that is why this resonates. here we are, two white dudes but that is kind of a common scene in silicon valley, where men far outnumber women wear white dudes and asian men outnumber women as well in the workplace. guest: when the case was filed, it was before "lean in" and before tech company started releasing their dismal showings. it is a world in which it is called out when you make calls. everything is very sensitive to all the things mentioned in the case. like where she sat at the table and whether she was told she had to take notes, even though she should have been at the same level as the men. that is really the thing people look at here and think, i have seen myself in that it i have talked to a lot of women in tech and i do not know what happened to ellen pao will, but i do know that looks a little bit like me. cory: let's look at the specific case. she is alle

all of her e- mails but clinton's lawyer says that her personal serve has been wiped clean. >>> ellen powelln who lost her gender discrimination suit is taking to twitter. powell writes if we do not share our stories, brings will not change of the the juries ruled against her, she is still thankful. >> i am grateful for my legal team for get megaa day in court and to everybody around the world, male and female, who have reached out to express support and to tell me that my story their story, too. >> 20% of the investing partners are women, compare to 6%, which is the average. >>> and amanda knox was acquitted for the 2007 murder of knox's roommate. >> experts say it is an unusual move for the high court to do this for knox and they are then boyfriend. >> i am so grateful. >> reporter: amanda knox made a very brief statement outside of her washington state home. >> i am really grateful for what has happened for the justy i have received and the support that i have had from everyone, my family, from my friends, to strangers, to people like you, you saved my life and i am so grateful. >> report

ellen powell will take the stand against the top silicon valley venture capital firm suing china neither perkins for $16 million for discrimination and retaliation. the testify feature discussion of locker room park on a private plane trip and unwanted sexual advances and retaliation. powell an investment partner, she was claims she was retaliated against after having an affair with another partner. she was treasured into that. the firm denies the charges saying powell did not have the necessary skills to become the successful venture capitalist. >> federal government is investigating stanford university for the way it handles sexual assault cases. it was added to the list 100 other colleges across the country including uc berkeley and harvard under review by the department of education civil rights office. a spokesman at stanford said the university is prohibited from commenting on what prompted the x to add it to the list but officials are confident that the college has not violated any rules. federal lays requires colleges to investigate sexual assaults of employees. >> the first pare

makeup of the jurors, six women and six men and you would think that that would work in favor of ellen powell, the plaintiff. but history has showed us that when you look at gender discrimination cases women jurors tend to be harder on the female plaintiffs and that says something about gender biasing just about everywhere. and regardless of how the jury makes their decision, some say that the venture capital has already lost. just the fact that the ins and out of that company have been revealed to the public, how they make their hires and investment decisions and here you have ellen powell, and she really believes that there was a gender discrimination against her, and she saw male colleagues who came in after her who got promoted and she never got the promotion she wanted michael. >> what would a verdict in powell's favor mean to silicon valley as a whole. >> even before you can imagine the hr departments already with their hiring policies and their promotion policies, but the numbers are really bad. if you look at partners in venture capital firms only 6% are women. and if you look at the

but here's a reality check: it ends soon. . >>> ellen powell loses her gender bias case against a major venture capital firm in silicon valley. a jury ruling in favor of the company where powell was a partner. she sought $16 million, alleging that the firm didn't promote her because she was a woman. they retaliated against her for complaining about discrimination. although she lost her case, she helped other women by sharing her story. >> i want to thank my family and my friends for your love and support during the very challenging times. if i have helped to level the playing field for women and minorities in venture capital, then the battle was worth it. through it's time for me to get -- now it's time for me to get back to my career. >> ellen powell is now the interim ceo of reddit. >>> a subpoena on hillary clinton's private e-mail server apparently hitting a major roadblock. this is according to south carolina congressman trey gowdy. the chairman of the house committee on benghazi said, quote, secretary clinton decided to permanently delete all her e-mails from her personal server.

ellen powell is suing for $16 million.e is claiming discrimination and retaliation after having an affair with a senior colleague. powell's husband run as hedge phoned which she says went bankrupt about the time the filed the suit. >>> to weather now and small but welcome changes on the way overnight. a live look right now from the golden gate bridge camera. while it was a beautiful day across the bay area, you seal the fog moved in on the bridge early this afternoon, and it did not leave. sticking around. also moving in soon, some rain showers. abc7 news meteorologist drew tuma has more on when they'll arrive. >> that picture from the golden gate bridge perfectly tells the story. we had sunshine early on and now we're seeing the clouds thicken, first along the coast and then east into many of our inland locations. live doppler 7hd right now will show you for the moment being we're not tracking any moisture. the clouds have arrived first and the showers are not too far behind them. live look outside showing you the clouds

ellen powell is suing for $16 million. is claiming discrimination and retaliation after having an affair with a senior colleague. powell's husband run as hedge phoned which she says went bankrupt about the time the filed the suit. >>> to weather now and small but welcome changes on the way overnight. a live look right now from the golden gate bridge camera. while it was a beautiful day across the bay area, you seal the fog moved in on the bridge early this afternoon, and it did not leave. sticking around. also moving in soon, some rain showers. abc7 news meteorologist drew tuma has more on when they'll arrive. >> that picture from the golden gate bridge perfectly tells the story. we had sunshine early on and now we're seeing the clouds thicken, first along the coast and then east into many of our inland locations. live doppler 7hd right now will show you for the moment being we're not tracking any moisture. the clouds have arrived first and the showers are not too far behind them. live look outside showing you the clouds a

. >> case rocking silicon valley he rules that ellen powell may seek damages. she could get tens of millions than the $16 million in lost wages and bonus she's was pursuing. alleging she was passed over for a promotion because she is a woman and fire after sheaf scum planed about -- she scum planedcomplained about it. >> can you fiment ineel it in the air, springtime allergies. maryann favro is live in cuppertino. your eyes look bloodshot. have you been sneezing this evening? >> no i have been catch upping terry. you can see here the trees are blooming. they're not beautiful if you suffer from allergies. throughout the bay area people are suffering from allergies. >> sinuses, itchy throat. breaking out in a rash. >> reporter: stephanie says this is her worst allergy season ever. >> missed work. for like two days. >> reporter: the season is hitting earlier too. >> when i play soccer. a soccer player. on the field. all the pollen. gets in my eyes. my eyes get watery. my face gets itchy. >> even the youngest are struggling. >> a lot more sneezing thaefr i ever, we

that centering around former employee, ellen powell seeking millions after getting fired. her attorney filed a motion to have the punitive damages claim thrown out after lawyers were to make a better case for malice. >>> safety experts today will discuss the logistics of equipping police officers with a body camera. the council members were sent a letter outlining plans for a pilot program starting in september. it will revolver about a dozen officers. today the public safety committee will discuss that rule. >>> the u.c. regions will hold final day of meetings this morning in san francisco following yesterday's protest by students angry over a proposal to increase a tuition by 5% over the next five year. governor brown said the hikes are not necessary but u.c. president janet napolitano disagrees. >> i would love to get back to the days 90% came from the state and 10% from the student but we don't live in that kind of world. >> napolitano and brown continuing to negotiate the possibility of tuition hikes but have not been any break-throughs. >> like living in yesteryear.

>> reporter: during the past ten days, the jury heard testimony describing ellen powell as curt harsh, dismiss sive but today on the stand, she came across as calm, comfortable and very intel jeptd. powell walked through her expensive education and work experience and says she initially turned down the offer from perkins pause it was too junior. powell says she eventually sent a 2012 memo about gender discrimination at kleiner perkins pause she saw junior male partners getting promoted but equally qualified women were not. she also felt women were sometimes treated with disrespect and a female colleague complained about being sexually harass. powell testified that a married partner she had an affair with man nip lated her. saying "when i found out he had lied to me and his wife had not left him i ended it immediately and permanently. i was furious." powell says she initially thought they could maintain a working relationship but in the following months, he made her job more difficult. from an e-mail she sent "okay this is the second time you've cut me out of the loop. i thought we had

melissa. >> reporter: not just advocates have been looking at this ellen powell true.women say for an industry that's all about being up-to-date it has been terribly not up-to-date when it comes to women. they graduated from m.i.t.'s business school, one holds an aerospace degree and one speaks chinese, despite their accomplishments and their own start-up. they believe many women in silicon valley get left behind. >> sometimes women maybe think that you need to explain stuff to them or they might need an extra hand do stuff. there has been no female equivalent to mark zuckerberg, there is no reason for that other than the current structure of things. >> reporter: the numbers tell the tale. more than nine testify% of the venture funded business is have male ceos and only 6% of partners in venture capital firms are women. on the engineering side, women make up just% of 20% of software developers. twenty-first century sexism can be subtle. some women feel as if they are rarely taken seriously the tech world has also seen a parade of men behaving badly. ubeer ceo once joke

today a second day of cross-examination of ellen powell by the firm's attorney who was trying to prove that money is the real motive for the lawsuit. the judge is set to decide tomorrow on a request by kleiner perkins attorney to submit documents to talk about the financial troubles. her husband's hedge fund went bankrupt about the time she filed suit. her lawsuit is aimed at creating equal opportunities for women. >>> just add water. a new alcoholic product could be here in california come summertime. it is called palcohol and it is designed for backpackers and hikers and it is a powder that just new orleans water to turn it into an alcoholic drink. it it has some people very concerned. >> there is a powdered form of alcohol. >> it is easy for these kids to sneak into these games to have the desired effect. >> the powdered rum vodka and cocktails will only be sold at licensed establishments to people 21 and older. but some fear the minors will gain access to it and conceal it at school functions and mix it with bottled water. >> the big concern is that powdered alcohol can be easily a

. >>> there's a high profile sex discrimination, ellen powell says she was passed over for a promotion because she was a woman. the firm retail dated against her had she complained about not being promoted. they said she was not of executive material and is a failure who tried to get a big baitout. >>> they're targeting the rebels who have taken over large areas of yemen. they forced them out of office. this is the aftermath, and the fighting in yemen is the latest suni-sheite conflicts. the iranian government released the statement calling the air strikes in yemen an invasion. >>> the us army is calling bergdahl, a deserter. he was held for five years until they captured taliban leaders in exchange for his relief. he's being charged with misbehavior before the enemy. a defense attorney says that is usually reserved for shameful or cowardly conduct. his case goes to the grand jury and he could be court-martialed and he could have dishonorable discharge to life in prison. >>> a photo snapped by a cleveland photographer during a recent visit to washington, d.c. is sparking a debate on ho

ellen powell. she's suing the biggest venture capital firm in the valley for $16 million. both women are represented by the same lawyer. >>> the politician's wife who was at the center of a domestic violence scandal is now starring in her own play about it. she opened up to our joe vasquez tonight. >> reporter: she's an actress playing the part of a lifetime. her own. >> took me like two years to be able to just write without crying. >> reporter: in fact, is the wife of ross mirkarimi and an actress plays different parts. >> it's a good opportunity to have a real conversation, not in city hall. >> reporter: she says much has been written about how her husband grabbed her arm, left a bruise, nearly lost his job three years ago. bun none of that -- but none of that narrative was written by her until now. >> i was the center of the scandal but nobody listen to me. this is my story. i own it. >> reporter: the story, she wasn't a victim, that the domestic violence advocates lined up against her family but never helped her. to this day, she says strangers occasionally -- admonis

but ellen powell was painted as someone let go not because she's a woman, but was difficult to work with. whatever people think of the case, here are the facts that we do know. just 11% of tech exist are women. 20% of software engineers are women. i remember at the start of this case hillary clinton had been in town and said we are going backward in a field supposed to be about moving forward. whether it will break a bit of that glass ceiling, that is a tough call. the industry is not showing much change under criticism all these years. >> thank you. >> texas senator ted cruz vowed to repeal the affordable care act. today he revealed he would be signing up through affordable care act he has care through his wife but will lose it. so they'll sign up through the federal exchange. he led a 21 hour filibuster to kill the law >>> for the second time in two years actress angelina jolie made a surprising revelation about her health raising awareness about a life and death decision facing women - pre-emptive surgery. >> reporter: a new bombshell from angelina jolie, the 39-year-old actress and a

new home for original documentaries al jazeera america presents only on al jazeera america >> ellen powellmay have lost her gender discrimination suit, but it 2039 a spotlight on gender equality. companies like google, facebook and apple have all faced criticism. the gender problems in silicon valley may run much deeper than just hiring decisions. >> despite their accomplishments, despite running their own start ups many women in silicon valley still get sidelined. >> you need to explain stuff to them or they might need an extra hand to do stuff. there has been no female equivalent to mark zuckerberg. there is no need for that other than the structure of things. >> the numbers tell the tale. more than 97% of venture-funded businesses have male ceos, and only 6% are women. on the engineering side women make up 20% of software developers. but battles are being waged including gender discrimination suit. powell believes male colleagues who under performed still received promotions while she did not . >> they were like, here, look, we've made a bathroom that's just for women because we never n

the suit was filed on monday by the same san francisco firm representing ellen powell. her case against kleiner perkins continues. today's testimony focussed on a plane ride back in 2011. powell remembers sitting through a discussion about porn stars and the hotness of various women. a private equity investor on that flight testified today that there was no discussion of anything explicitly sexual or inappropriate. when powell's lawyer cross-examined the witness she focussed on pain medications that he had been taking at the time because of a skiing accident. the witness said it affected his memory and decision-making abilities. orges you're taking the shirts off our backs! >> a symbolic move by students. taking off their clothes at today's uc regents meeting to make a point. they're trying to hold up more tuition hikes. >>> plus caught in the act. the 70-year-old bay area woman accused of breaking into a church. the items police found on her that have them concerned. >>> also i'm michelle roberts at the peninsula humane society where they're using science and a little

ellen powell is suing a venture capital firm accusing it of gender discrimination. the firm fired her in 2012. her finances will not be admitted into court even though the defense argues that is her real motivation for the lawsuit. another bombshell today she received $33,000 a month in severance pay for six months after she left. the defense questioned powell, the juror's questions for her will be read in the morning. >>> too many feral cats around liberty high school and the adult education center. the district is doing what it can to get them out. animal advocates don't like the way the problem is being handled. leann ma len dez joins us with more. >> this has been a problem for years. now, depending on who you ask, they'll tell you the number of cats is between 35 50 60 maybe more. and the issue is creating a lot of con electroversety. >> probably between both campuses 50 to 60 cats. >> julie is a feral cat advocate. she's been keeping an eye on the cats which for years have made their homes under the buildings at liberty high school and the adult continuing edu

a judge has ruled that ellen powell may seek punitive damages.he could get tens of millions of dollars more than the $16 million in lost wages and bonuses she is pursuing. she alleged she was passed over for appropriations because she's a woman and she was fired after she complained. closing arguments are expected on tuesday. >> and a warning about a police impersonator targeting gummy or eric ganny. he tells victims they've been caught speeding on video and that they must buy a prepaid visa card and give him the number or avoid arrest. at least four people reported that they were victims. >> it's no secret san francisco has one of the biggest lgbt populations in the country but a survey revealed a big area split. 6.2% of the san francisco population identifies as lesbian gay, by sexual or transgender, the highest in the nation. buteavñ san jose ranked 47 n in the nation at 3.2%. about the same as cities like memphis, and pittsburg. >> poll is unique. it's the first to collect information about lgbt populations in america's 50 largist cities. the

. >> reporter: the case ellen powell has brought against cliner perkins is about another of things. sexual discrimination, harassment, and money. a lot of it. pao is suing the firm for $16 million. in a curve ball, just before lunch, defense attorney asked the judge to introduce evidence about why pau wants that cash. >> there's a whole con tect around the case not presented to the jury. so that is what we are learning about. and, if you were to look at ellen pao on the internet, you would learn through a vanity fair profile of her and a fortune profile, that she has a complicated family situation. >> reporter: pao's family is in dire financial straits and that is why the lawsuit is going forward. it has been a two day mental chess match between pao, a harvard educated attorney herself. and details of her employment, old conversations, and, her eventual firing. >> when she is being questioned by the defense attorney, the tone changes a lot. she is testy. she is short. she is a little bit skeptical. a lot skeptical. >> reporter: in san francisco, andria borba, kpix5. >> the trial is

today a second day of cross-examination of ellen powell by the firm's attorney who was trying to prove that money is the real motive for the lawsuit. the judge is set to decide tomorrow on a request by kleiner perkins attorney to submit documents to talk about the financial troubles. her husband's hedge fund went bankrupt about the time she filed suit. her lawsuit is aimed at creating equal opportunities for women. >>> just add water. a new alcoholic product could be here in california come summertime. it is called palcohol and it is designed for backpackers and hikers and it is a powder that just new orleans water to turn it into an alcoholic drink. it it has some people very concerned. >> there is a powdered form of alcohol. >> it is easy for these kids to sneak into these games to have the desired effect. >> the powdered rum vodka and cocktails will only be sold at licensed establishments to people 21 and older. but some fear the minors will gain access to it and conceal it at school functions and mix it with bottled water. >> the big concern is that powdered alcohol can be easily a

. >>> well demeaned harassed and pressure how ellen powell said she fell while at work.he took the stand today, detailing how she was treated by other partners. she testified about being uncomfortable during a flight to new york where her male co-workers debate the porn stars and talked about the hotness of yahoo ceo. she said a senior partner gave her erottic poetry and invited her to dinner saying his wife would be out of town. also she broke off a relationship with a co-worker who was promoted while she was fired. >>> and a deadly san bruno pipeline explosion trial will begin in march of next year more than five years after the blast. pg&e has pleaded not guilty. they could face a fine up to $1.8 billion. eight people were killed. an entire neighborhood was incinerated on september 9th of 2010. >>> he was fired for saving a raccoon. a local construction worker is fighting back against his bosses who wanted to euthanize the animal after damaging their construction site. terry mcsweeney is in san francisco with the details. >> i'm right here on the embarcadero. this is

not just because of ellen powell but because this case hasek posed what was a dirty little secret in a boy's club. the question is whether allen powell is the proper poster woman to tell the story. no question she's got the credential credentials, 45, princeton undergrad, harvard business, harvard law, joined as a junior partner at venture capital firm and claims that she was prevented from going further because of the pervasive gender bias at the firm. the allegations, gender discrimination that she was denied promotions denied opportunities for compensation because of her sex and denied the ability to serve on corporate boards that she might otherwise have been able to do. the company retaliated after she broke off a consensual affair with a senior partner and further after she filed this lawsuit in 2012. also that kleiner perkins reveal prevailed to prevent bias. the judge ruled she can try to collect punitive damages. in addition to $16 million in actual damages, she says she suffered this verdict, if it goes her way could go into the hundreds of millions. kleiner perkins present

today a second day of cross-examination of ellen powell by the firm's attorney who was trying to prove that money is the real motive for the lawsuit. the judge is set to decide tomorrow on a request by kleiner perkins attorney to submit documents to talk about the financial troubles. her husband's hedge fund went bankrupt about the time she filed suit. her lawsuit is aimed at creating equal opportunities for women. >>> just add water. a new alcoholic product could be here in california come summertime. it is called palcohol and it is designed for backpackers and hikers and it is a powder that just new orleans water to turn it into an alcoholic drink. it it has some people very concerned. >> there is a powdered form of alcohol. >> it is easy for these kids to sneak into these games to have the desired effect. >> the powdered rum vodka and cocktails will only be sold at licensed establishments to people 21 and older. but some fear the minors will gain access to it and conceal it at school functions and mix it with bottled water. >> the big concern is that powdered alcohol can be easily a

>> ellen powell claims her former and her attorney went into the details of her testimony. >> >> you discussed having children today? yes, he did. and you communitied you roved him? yes. >> she asked powell about intimate moments like this one. all i have ever done is love you. and leave you. not true. you knew you can never choose me over your kids but it's my fault because i heard what i wanted to hear. she testified she learned he was still with his wife, she ended their involvement immediately and that is when the discrimination began. >> 95% settles. the fact it's going to trial, means both sides think there is a good shot of winning. >> she told the jury it's important to continue this retaliation lawsuit saying quote, i believe there should be equal opportunities for women and men to be venture capitolists. her testimony is expected to continue tomorrow. in san francisco tiffany wilson abc7 news. >> the deal involves six daughters of charity hospitals prime health care says 300 positions are deal breakers. the response, quote, by walking away it's not the priority. >> police a