Ellen Pao drops appeal in Silicon Valley gender discrimination lawsuit

Pao said she cannot afford to continue fight against Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the venture capital firm that she alleged had discriminated against her

The woman who lost her high-profile gender discrimination lawsuit against a Silicon Valley venture capital firm says she is dropping her appeal.

Ellen Pao said in a statement released on Thursday that she cannot afford the risk of incurring additional costs to fight Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. She said she had not reached any settlement with the firm and will pay some of its legal fees.