Ellen Kreitzberg spoke with NBC news about non-verbal communication in the trial of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, specifically Ms. Holmes appearing daily in the courtroom with her mother, husband, father-in-law and other family members.

“Jurors notice that,” said Ellen Kreitzberg, a University of Santa Clara law professor who has been attending the Theranos trial. “It helps to humanize her and provide her a story outside of the one related to these charges.”

“You’re asking jurors to go into her mind and ask what her thinking was. If you see her in this setting in the courtroom, figuring out her intent becomes more complex,” Kreitzberg told NBC News. “It gives the jury something to hang on to, and something the defense is doing quite effectively.”

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Ellen S. Kreitzberg

Professor of Law