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Ellen Pao Ends Legal Battle, Citing Personal Resources

Ellen Pao in March after losing her lawsuit against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a decision she will not appeal.Credit...Beck Diefenbach/Reuters

Ellen Pao, a tech industry executive who brought an unsuccessful discrimination lawsuit against her former employer, the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, said on Thursday that she would not pursue an appeal.

Ms. Pao, who has been quiet about the case in recent months, broke her silence in a statement and lengthy post published on the website ReCode. She said that she made the decision because her personal resources paled in comparison with the firm’s financial clout, adding, “I cannot afford the risk of even more costs to fight against a firm with tremendous financial resources and massive legal and P.R. armies.”

In March, a jury ruled against Ms. Pao, who had sued the firm on gender discrimination grounds during her employment and eventual dismissal, and had asked for $16 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

“I have a request for all companies,” she wrote in the post. “Please don’t try to silence employees who raise discrimination and harassment concerns.”

The court determined that Ms. Pao owed Kleiner $276,000 in court fees, and the firm offered to waive those if she did not appeal. But in her statement on Wednesday, Ms. Pao said that she was still ordered to pay those to resolve the lawsuit.

“I already must pay Kleiner for its legal costs, as awarded by the court, plus 10 percent annual interest,” she wrote. “Forcing plaintiffs in civil rights actions to pay for defendants’ costs is just wrong.”

Kleiner said it was glad to put the trial behind it. “There is no question diversity in the workplace is an important issue,” the firm said in a statement. “K.P.C.B. remains committed to supporting women and minorities in venture capital and technology, both inside our firm and within our industry.”

Ms. Pao, who was interim chief executive of the web forum Reddit, resigned from that role in July after scathing online criticism — some of it colored with sexist and racist caricatures — of her management. Shortly before resigning, Ms. Pao acknowledged that Reddit’s managers had struggled with poor communication and abrupt changes to the site that had upset Reddit’s users.

But “the attacks were worse on Ellen because she is a woman,” Sam Altman, a Reddit board member, told The New York Times in July. “And that’s just a shame against humanity.”

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section B, Page 3 of the New York edition with the headline: Pao Ends Legal Battle Against Silicon Valley Firm, Citing Personal Resources. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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