Ex-HP boss Hurd's folly exposed as sexual harassment allegations go public

Former HP chief executive Mark Hurd made repeated advances towards a female employee at the firm for several years, according to a document that has now been made public.

The letter was released by a Delaware court and written by Gloria Allred, the lawyer representing the woman at the centre of the allegations, Jodie Fisher. It details how Hurd tried to impress Fisher, who worked at HP as an event hostess, and pressure her to join him for dinner when working at events.

"You stopped at an ATM and showed her that your checking account balance was over a million dollars to impress her,"  reads the letter.

It also details Fisher's attempts to avoid Hurd and her fears that she would lose her job for failing to reciprocate his advances.

"She continually had to put you off, make excuses, scurry away or simply leave. Oftentimes, you would be irritated and angry and on a few occasions, you were so angry when she put you off, she expected to get fired," it adds.

In response to the publication of the letter, Hurd's lawyer Amy Wintersheimer said in a statement sent to the Associated Press that it was "filled with inaccuracies".

"The truth is, there never was any sexual harassment, which HP's investigation confirmed, and there never was any sexual relationship, which Fisher has confirmed," she said.

Hurd was subject to an internal investigation by HP over his conduct and the firm found that despite there being no evidence he had breached sexual harassment rules he was dismissed over issues relating to expenses incurred when meeting with Fisher.

Despite this dramatic fall from grace, Hurd was quickly snapped up by Oracle, which led to a legal battle between the two firms over the appointment, although this was eventually settled.