Ellen Pao wants Kleiner Perkins to pay $2.7 million as settlement

After a San Francisco jury dismissed the gender bias and retaliation lawsuit against prominent venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers in March, Ellen Pao, former partner who filed the lawsuit, now wanted to forgo an appeal for a sum of $2.7 million, which is most likely to prolong this three-year-old case.

After the verdict went in favor of Kleiner, the firm was looking to recover $1 million in legal cost from Pao, Reuters reported. But later, Kleiner said it was willing to drop its demand if Pao agreed not to challenge the court's verdict.

Pao had told the court that the amount asked by the firm was "excessive" and she was not required to reimburse the firm.

Pao originally asked the court to slap Kleiner with $16 million for ignoring her complaints against a male colleague who allegedly pressured her into having an affair with him, and for the discrimination she had experienced as a woman working in the firm.

Court filing by Kleiner in the San Francisco state court divulged that Pao had told Kleiner that she will not file an appeal if the venture capital firm will pay her $2.7 million and desist from recovering the $1 million in court costs.

Pao's demand comes after she made her court filing last week, in which Pao told the court she may appeal the verdict. Kleiner earlier offered not to pursue the court cost reimbursement should Pao agree not to challenge the jury's decision. 

The spokeswoman for Kleiner, Christina Lee, in a statement said KPCB has no intention of accepting this unreasonable demand. 

Pao's lawyer, Alan Exelrod declined to comment on Kleiner's court filing..

The case dates back to 2012, when Ellen Pao - now the interim CEO of Reddit - working at the venture capital firm made allegations agianst the firm for not letting her to thrive and become an investing partner only because she is a woman.