“She should pay her money owed”

Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes (L) arrives in federal court with her partner Billy Evans October 17, 2022 in San Jose, California.

Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

SAN JOSE, Calif. — A star witness in the trial of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes doubled down on his testimony Monday, two months after he showed up on Holmes’ doorstep to speak to her.

“I don’t want to help Ms. Holmes, she’s not someone to help,” Adam Rosendorff, former Theranos lab director, said during a special hearing before Judge Edward Davila in the US District Court. “The only person who can help Mrs. Holmes is herself. She must pay her debt to society.”

In January, Holmes was convicted on four counts of wire fraud and wire fraud conspiracy related to the Theranos collapse. She is seeking a new trial over an unannounced visit by Rosendorff to her home on the sprawling Green Gables estate in Woodside, California in August 2022.

According to court documents, Holmes’ partner Billy Evans alleges that Rosendorff made rueful comments outside their home on August 8.

Evans claimed that Rosendorff said he wanted to “help” Holmes.

However, during questioning by US District Judge Edward Davila, federal prosecutors and an attorney for Holmes, Rosendorff claimed that his previous statement that Theranos was a scam was honest.

Rosendorff told the court his conversation with Evans lasted 10 minutes and the reason for his visit was to seek forgiveness and healing for himself so he could “move on” with his life. He also denied Holmes’ claim that he had recanted previous statements he had made under oath at the trial.

Rosendorff worked at Theranos from 2013 to the end of 2014. He spent six days on the witness stand, longer than any other witness, during Holmes’ high-profile trial. It turned out that Rosendorff was a key source for former Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou, who wrote a series of stories exposing the company’s shortcomings and dubious business practices.

“In the months following Elizabeth Holmes’ sentencing, I felt increasingly distressed and uneasy at the prospect of her young child spending the formative years of his life without his mother,” Rosendorff said, an attorney for Holmes. “And I understand that Ms. Holmes could be pregnant again.”

Holmes left the court and did not answer questions about whether she was pregnant with a second child.

Federal prosecutors and attorneys for Holmes will present written arguments for Monday’s hearing within a week. Judge Davila will then rule on her request for a new trial.

If the motion is denied, Holmes is scheduled to be sentenced on November 18.