San Francisco -
A trial is underway in a high-profile sex bias lawsuit captivating Silicon Valley.
In his opening statement on Tuesday, a lawyer for plaintiff Ellen Pao said she was passed over for promotion because she was a woman and then fired after she complained.
Attorney Alan Exelrod described a male-dominated culture at venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield & Byers - the defendant in the case.
He said Pao had received erotic poetry and sketches of nude women from a senior partner at the firm, and another male employee interfered with her work when Pao broke off an affair with him.
The firm denies wrongdoing and says Pao was a poor performer who didn't get along with her colleagues.
An attorney for the firm was expected to give an opening statement later in the day.
Sapa-AP