Something weird is going on over at HP. This whole Mark Hurd firing looks more like a coup timed with a nice, old-fashioned scandal than a case of “sexual harassment.” To wit, the “victim,” one Jodie Fisher, just wrote in a press release:
“I was surprised and saddened that Mark Hurd lost his job over this. That was never my intention.”
“Mark and I never had an affair or intimate sexual relationship. I first met Mark in 2007 when I interviewed for a contractor job at the company.”
There was no sexual contact and generally it just looks like they had dinners together when she was “under contract to work at high-level customer and executive summit events” for the company. She is also an actress who starred in the hit NBC show “Age of Love,” a show that appears to be about cougars. I know! THAT Jodie Fisher.
Anyway, whatever is going on at HP suggests a massive move in the ranks of management, perhaps to better accomodate Palm executives. While HP has made some good money selling printers and, incidentally, computers, they could really use a home run in the mobile/portable space. Without old thinking – read Hurd – they may be able to punch on through to the other side. Anyway, here’s Fisher’s press release. Weird stuff.
Gloria Allred Releases Statement by Former HP Contractor
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ — Attorney Gloria Allred released the following statement from her client, Jodie Fisher, the former contractor who recently made a sexual harassment claim against former Hewlett-Packard Chairman and CEO Mark Hurd:
“I was surprised and saddened that Mark Hurd lost his job over this. That was never my intention.”
“Mark and I never had an affair or intimate sexual relationship. I first met Mark in 2007 when I interviewed for a contractor job at the company.”
“At HP, I was under contract to work at high-level customer and executive summit events held around the country and abroad. I prepared for those events, worked very hard and enjoyed working for HP.”
“I have resolved my claim with Mark privately, without litigation, and I do not intend to comment on it further.”
“I wish Mark, his family and HP the best.”
Ms. Allred added:
“My client is a single mom focused on raising her young son. She has a degree in Political Science from Texas Tech and was recently the vice president of a commercial real estate company. She formerly worked on the House Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control. She has also been a successful salesperson for a Fortune 500 company and has been in various television shows and films, some of which were R-rated when she was in her 30’s. Most recently, Jodie was one of the stars in an NBC television show called “Age of Love.” Our office does not plan to have any further comment.”