Proceedings in the ongoing fraud trial of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes were canceled on Friday after a juror on the case was possibly exposed to COVID-19.
Early Thursday evening, presiding U.S. District Court Judge Edward Davila called an emergency meeting over Zoom and informed trial attorneys that juror #9 emailed him about possible exposure to the virus over the Labor Day weekend.
"It's a little, I don't want to say ominous, but it's of concern that before we finish the first witness we have an issue," Davila said. "For our sake, around the county there are still high numbers and we hope everybody continues to be safe."
The juror is reportedly not experiencing symptoms and is awaiting test results, according to reporting by CNBC.
The trial had only just begun on Wednesday.
Prosecuting U.S. Attorney Robert Leach told jurors in his opening statements that the case is about lying and cheating to gain recognition and wealth. Theranos folded in 2018, a few years after Wall Street Journal reporting exposed problems with the technology.
Defense attorney Lance Wade has argued that the failure was a characteristic of the start-up culture, and merely a series of unfortunate mistakes.
Court information on the trial said it would resume on Tuesday.
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