The gender discrimination suit filed by Kleiner Perkins partner Ellen Pao against her employer has hit a potential snag. The hedge fund run by Ms. Pao’s husband, Alphonse “Buddy” Fletcher, has filed for bankruptcy, according to Dan Primack at Fortune.
Mr. Primack points out that while the bankruptcy and the suit could easily be unrelated, the possibility of family financial disaster could provide a motive for Ms. Pao seeking damages against the company.
He writes:
If Kleiner Perkins did what Pao claims, then its motivation for lying would be fairly obvious: Protect its reputation and its assets.
If Pao is the one making up stories, now we have a possible explanation as for why: She needs a big, and quick, payday to help salvage her family’s deteriorating financial situation.
Mr. Fletcher also has as somewhat litigious past, a fact some proponents of Kleiner Perkins have brought up in defense of the firm.
Of course, this could mean nothing and everything, but both points do make the landmark lawsuit rather murky.
