HP (HPQ), which until last week was just a boring underperforming tech company, has become a lot more interesting lately. Ever since HP accused IT software firm Autonomy of committing fraud prior to its acquisition in 2011, Autonomy founder Mike Lynch has been hopping mad and has accused HP of smearing his company’s good name to make up for its own incompetence. Now HP has shot back today, claiming that it has “uncovered extensive evidence of a willful effort on behalf of certain former Autonomy employees to inflate the underlying financial metrics of the company in order to mislead investors and potential buyers.”
And what’s more, HP specifically called out Lynch and told him, in essence, to save his griping for the judge because HP will see him in court.
“While Dr. Lynch is eager for a debate, we believe the legal process is the correct method in which to bring out the facts and take action on behalf of our shareholders,” the company said. “In that setting, we look forward to hearing Dr. Lynch and other former Autonomy employees answer questions under penalty of perjury.”
