BBC News — HP pays $14.5m to end ’spy’ probe

7 December 2006
Hewlett-Packard (HP) has agreed to pay $14.5m (£7.4m) to settle a civil lawsuit over its much-criticised investigation into a boardroom leak.

The probe by the Californian attorney general came after allegations that HP had wrongly spied on its directors to try and find the source of the leak.

That’s quick. It’s only three months since the matter first came to light. (See Phone-records scandal at HP, on 6 September 2006.)

It also seems a chummy sort of deal. As the article goes on to say, the attorney general of Californian commended HP for “working with my office to expeditiously craft a creative resolution.” So that’s alright then.

I know this was a civil case but I wonder how many petty criminals in California, especially those with an unfortunate skin tint, get the chance to “craft a creative resolution” to their indictment.

Hewlett-Packard’s turnover for fiscal 2006 was $91.7 billion, of which $14.5 million represents roughly one six-thousandth or 0.016%. In 2005, the average income for graduates of either sex in California was about $70,000 (see here). If HP were a person, therefore, the equivalent fine would be $11.