Gangakhedkar distinguished assay development from CLIA validation and reaffirmed device concerns at her resignation. Zachman and Gould then described conflicting Theranos HCG results, the resulting belief that Gould was miscarrying, and their loss of confidence in the laboratory.
Full day summary
Before testimony, the court set an initial protocol for presenting selected Holmes-Balwani messages: remove page and confidentiality information, enlarge the substantive text, and instruct jurors not to infer anything from redactions. Broader relevance and completeness objections remained unresolved.
On cross-examination, Surekha Gangakhedkar acknowledged successful assay projects, expanding development totals, regular updates to Holmes, and formal plans for later validation. She maintained, however, that R&D development reports were not CLIA validation reports and that information generally remained restricted outside selected coordination. Gangakhedkar also described recurring criticism of her team and confirmed that she resigned despite Holmes's efforts to retain her. On redirect, she reaffirmed that failures observed on the 3.0 and 3.5 systems caused her to question the planned launch, and she said completed development work did not establish readiness for patient testing. The court later admitted a narrowed, two-page version of Exhibit 3961 after addressing the defense's hearsay objections.
Audra Zachman reviewed laboratory reports showing sharply conflicting HCG values for Brittany Gould. Zachman testified that the reported Theranos decline suggested pregnancy loss and that the corrected duplicate value still did not present a reassuring clinical trend. On cross-examination, she limited her expertise to clinical interpretation rather than assay mechanics, acknowledged Theranos's apology and corrective efforts, and said a later chart review found no comparable questioned result with a different clinical outcome. She nevertheless maintained that Gould's result was markedly anomalous and that the experience ended her confidence in referring patients to Theranos.
Gould then testified that Theranos's pricing, convenience, and finger-prick marketing led her to use and recommend its services while expecting accurate results. After being told that her HCG numbers were falling, she believed she was miscarrying and discussed possible next steps. Later testing showed that she remained pregnant, and she ultimately gave birth. Gould said the conflicting results caused her to stop using Theranos and referring patients there.