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Woman At Center Of Lengthy Silicon Valley Sex-Bias Suit Appeals Verdict

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS/AP) -- A woman at the center of a high-profile gender bias lawsuit against an elite Silicon Valley venture capital firm filed an appeal on Monday of a jury verdict against her.

Alan Exelrod, an attorney for plaintiff Ellen Pao, filed the two-page notice of appeal in San Francisco Superior Court.

A jury in March found that defendant Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers did not discriminate or retaliate against Pao.

Pao's attorneys claimed she was subjected to a number of indignities, including being given a book of erotic poetry by a partner at the company and being cut out of emails and meetings by a male colleague with whom she broke off an affair.

Kleiner Perkins' attorney Lynne Hermle countered during the trial that Pao failed as an investor at the company and sued to get a big payout as she was being shown the door.

The case became a flashpoint in an ongoing discussion about gender inequity at elite technology and venture capital firms.

Kleiner Perkins' spokeswoman Christina Lee said in a statement Monday that the company was committed to gender diversity in the workplace and believes that women in technology would be best served by focusing on the issue outside of continued litigation.

In a recent court filing, Kleiner Perkins said it offered Pao $964,000 before the trial to settle the case, but she did not respond. The firm has sought more than $970,000 in legal costs from Pao but said it would waive all costs if Pao did not pursue an appeal.

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