Lawyers gather as HP execs gear up for Autonomy battle

A raft of lawyers is licking their lips at the prospect of representing those senior executives at technology giant Hewlett-Packard who played key roles in the bungled purchase of British software firm Autonomy.

20 December 2012

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In November, HP disclosed an $8.8 billion write down on the Autonomy deal, sparking a wave of shareholder litigation.

True value

According to California-based publication The Recorder, HP executives named in pending suits claiming they knew or should have known the true value of Autonomy include chief executive Meg Whitman, her predecessor Leo Apotheker, chief financial officer Catherine Lesjak and former controller James Murrin.
The report says lawyers from Palo Alto-based Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Silicon Valley’s Fenwick & West entered appearances yesterday for Ms Lesjak and Mr Murrin. Steven Schatz of Wilson Sonsini said his client Ms Lesjak ‘acted properly at all times,’ but declined to comment further.

Formal confirmation

Mr Murrin's lead counsel, Kevin Muck, who chairs Fenwick's securities litigation group, could not be reached for comment. Ms Whitman, Mr Apotheker and several other named defendants have not formally confirmed who will be advising them.
HP is represented by Morgan Lewis & Bockius partner Marc Sonnenfeld, head of the firm’s securities litigation group, and litigation partner Joseph Floren.