Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd has been a regular magnet for legal controversy in 2010.
On Aug. 6, he was forced to resign at HP
following allegations of sexual harassment by an HP social-event
contractor and for falsifying reimbursement documents to cover up the
relationship. Hurd settled the sexual harassment case out of court;
he also settled the document problem with HP.
A few weeks after Hurd’s unexpected departure at HP, a number of
shareholders sued Hurd and the company for fiduciary malfeasance when
the stock price suddenly took a nosedive. Those cases are pending.
Then, one day after Hurd was hired as co-president of Oracle on Sept. 6, HP brought a civil lawsuit against Hurd
for breaking a severance agreement in joining one of its most powerful
competitors so soon after taking a $40 million severance package. Hurd
and HP settled 13 days later.
For more, read the eWeek article: SEC Reportedly Investigating Hurd for Insider Trading.