things to quiet down, but then he could start sending work John’s way.
He suggested they get John on the phone to talk it over.
Fuisz dialed John’s number in Washington and passed his cell
phone to Boies. As it turned out, John was in no mood to make nice.
He had been looking forward to testifying in court. He saw it as his
chance to clear his name. Now this settlement would prevent him from
doing that. He angrily told Boies there was no way he would ever sign
a release unless Theranos issued a public statement exonerating him.
Richard and Joe could see the conversation wasn’t going well: Boies
was holding the phone several inches from his ear and wincing as John
shouted on the other end of the line. After a few minutes, Boies passed
the phone back to Fuisz. Their little side deal was dead.
But the main agreement stood. When Underhill came back with the
printed settlement, Richard and Joe read it and signed it. Afterward,
Richard Fuisz looked utterly defeated. The proud and pugnacious
former CIA agent broke down and sobbed.
—
THE NEXT MORNING, Fuisz jotted down a note on a paper pad from the
hotel and, when he got to the courthouse, asked Boies to pass it on to
Elizabeth. It read:
Dear Elizabeth,
This matter is resolved now. I wish great success for you
and health and happiness for your parents. We all can be
wrong. Life is like that. Please know that in fact none of the
612 patent came from any of your provisionals. It derived
from my brain only.
Best wishes,
Richard FuiszBack in Washington, the settlement didn’t sit well with John Fuisz.
He was mad at everyone, including his father and brother, for agreeing