Theranos Ex-CEO’s Defense Shift Signals She’ll Be Cast as Victim

Elizabeth Holmes enlisted psychologist specializing in trauma

A technician prepares a sample inside the laboratory .Photographer: Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg
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First, Elizabeth Holmes blamed overzealous journalism for her plight. Now, the founder of Theranos Inc. is exploring whether she can beat fraud charges by asking jurors to delve into her psychological state.

With Holmes facing years in prison, her lawyers have told prosecutors they may tell jurors about a “mental disease or defect” or some “other mental condition,” and they’ve lined up a psychologist whose expertise is violence against women.