A federal judge today ruled that Hewlett Packard may proceed with another investigation of the circumstances that led to the resignation of former CEO Mark Hurd, dismissing Hurd’s demands to first see related documents that the company has refused to share.
As part of the ruling, the judge halted, for 45 days, the shareholder lawsuit that led to this new investigation, according to a Bloomberg report.
The suit alleges that the board wasted money by awarding Hurd a “grossly excessive” severance package. Hurd resigned from his position at HP in August 2010 in what appeared to be a sexual harassment scandal but was scaled down after it was learned that Hurd did not violate the company’s harassment policy but did turn in some questionable expense reports.
Last week, HP announced a board shakeup in which it replaced four directors and added a fifth, a move that the company said would diversify the makeup of the board and bring in some expertise.
