Hewlett-Packard agreed to a $14.5 million settlement in the California civil lawsuit related to the company’s spying scandal. Under terms of the settlement with the California attorney general, HP will pay $13.5 million to create a “Privacy and Piracy Fund” for law enforcement activities related to privacy and intellectual property rights operated in the state Attorney General’s Office.
The company will also pay $650,000 in civil penalties and $350,000 to cover expenses of the investigation, California Attorney General Bill Lockyer announced Thursday.
HP executives and private investigators retained by the company still face criminal charges in the scandal, which involves the alleged use of “pretexting,” or pretending to be someone to obtain their personal phone records.