Hewlett-Packard (HP) Co’s former chief executive officer Mark Hurd has reached a legal settlement with the woman who accused him of sexual harassment, and she has also agreed to release HP from legal claims, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The world’s No. 1 computer maker stunned Wall Street and Silicon Valley on Friday by announcing Hurd’s resignation, accusing him of falsifying expense reports to conceal a “close personal relationship” with a female contractor.
The unidentified woman told HP’s board in June that Hurd had sexually harassed her, but an investigation found no violation of the company’s sexual harassment policy, HP said.
The contractor, who did marketing work for HP from 2007 to last year, did not have sexual relations with Hurd, according to her lawyer Gloria Allred, a high-profile attorney who often works with celebrity clients.
“Mark has settled the matter with the woman,” said one source who was briefed on the matter.
This person said the settlement included a payment, but the amount was not disclosed.
Another source with knowledge of the matter said HP was given a “release” by the contractor, and that the company had not paid her any money. This person also said Hurd had settled the matter. Both sources spoke on condition of anonymity.
Allred declined to comment.
According to sources, the contractor helped plan, market and host events for the office of the CEO. She made the sexual harassment charges on June 29 in a letter addressed to Hurd that came to his office.
The board then ordered an investigation, which found inaccurate expense reports filed by Hurd or on his behalf, and instances where the contractor received compensation for no legitimate business purpose, HP has said.
Hurd said in a statement on Friday that he had not lived up to his own standards of integrity. Hurd offered to reimburse the company for the expenses, which amounted to no more than US$20,000 over a two-year period, the source said.
News of Hurd’s resignation sent HP shares plunging 10 percent as he was one of the most respected executives in Silicon Valley. Chief financial officer Cathie Lesjak will take over while HP looks for a permanent CEO.
Hurd, who received nearly US$100 million in compensation over the past three years, will get a severance payment of US$12.2 million from HP.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique