Seen and Hurd

The Mark Hurd scandal looks set to run for a little while longer, with more news of disquiet in the HP ranks before his exit emerging.

Today it emerged in the Wall Street Journal that Hurd went ahead and agreed a settlement with soft porn actress Jodie Fisher, who raised a sexual harassment claim against him causing him to leave the company, without the actual approval of the Board.

In fact, according to the article, the day after the settlement was reached, there was due to be a mediation meeting between the pair and their lawyers and HP's legal team.

Unfortunately for HP and its Board, any hopes it had of brushing the matter under the carpet and getting on with business, are fading, particularly after a group of shareholders launched a lawsuit against the company on Friday.