In this , Nov. 12, 2007, file photo, Hewlett Packard Company CEO Mark Hurd speaks during a conference in San Francisco. (AP)
Mark Hurd, who on Friday resigned as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co. over his relationship with a marketing contractor that violated the company's business standards, reached a settlement with the unidentified contractor on Thursday regarding her sexual-harassment claims, according to people familiar with the situation.
Terms of the settlement couldn't be learned. One of the people familiar with the situation said the resolution between Mr. Hurd and the contractor didn't involve HP paying any money to the woman.
HP said Friday that Mr. Hurd, 53 years old, didn't violate the company's policy regarding sexual-harassment but submitted inaccurate expense reports that were intended to conceal what the company said was a "close personal relationship" with the contractor. The amount of money in question wasn't disclosed. The woman was an outside marketing contractor for HP between the fall of 2007 and the fall of 2009, HP has said. Gloria Allred, an attorney for the contractor, has denied the woman had a sexual relationship with Mr. Hurd.
The San Jose Mercury News has identified the contractor as 50-year-old Jodie Fisher, a single mother and actress who most recently appeared in the reality TV show "Age of Love."
On Saturday, the day after Mr. Hurd's sudden resignation from Hewlett-Packard, a person familiar with his version of events disputed some of the claims of wrongdoing that have been made against the former chief executive.
This person called into question details of the meetings between Mr. Hurd and an HP marketing contractor who later claimed the CEO had sexually harassed her. The sexual-harassment claim, which Mr. Hurd and the company learned of in late June, kicked off an investigation by HP's board. The investigation cleared Mr. Hurd of harassment, but found that he misstated his expenses in violation the company's code of business conduct.
But on Saturday, the person familiar with Mr. Hurd's version of events said that both trips were scheduled for purposes other than meeting the contractor. In the case of the Los-Angeles meeting, Mr. Hurd was on his way home from San Diego and had a different meeting scheduled in the Los-Angeles area, this person said. The contractor was scheduled to meet one of Mr. Hurd's assistants, and the former CEO only attended because his original meeting was canceled, said this person.
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