Panish, Shea & Boyle Files Lawsuits against Hewlett-Packard for Pretexting Journalists and Their Families

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Los Angeles based law firm Panish, Shea & Boyle, LLP, (www.psandb.com) today announced that five lawsuits have commenced against Hewlett-Packard Company and certain of its officers and agents in the San Francisco Superior Court. The lawsuits seek to pursue remedies available for Invasion of Privacy, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, and Violations of California Business & Professions Code §§ 17200 et.seq. Additional information, including copies of the Complaints, can be accessed at www.psandb.com.

Hewlett-Packard has acknowledged in a September 6, 2006 8-K filing with the SEC that, over the early 2006 time period, it was conducting an investigation to determine who was leaking company information to the press. One particular investigation technique Hewlett-Packard employed is a practice known as pretexting. The Complaints charge that Hewlett-Packard engaged in pretexting by authorizing certain persons to impersonate the Plaintiffs so as to obtain access to, among other things, Plaintiffs’ personal and confidential telephone records.

The Plaintiffs are journalists and family members of journalists targeted by Hewlett-Packard. All of the plaintiffs are represented by Kevin Boyle and Rahul Ravipudi of Panish, Shea & Boyle. The case names and numbers are as follows:

Rachel Konrad v. HP (Case No. CGC-07-466207)

Dawn Kawamoto et.al. v. HP (Case No. CGC-07-466209)

Stephen Shankland v. HP (Case No. CGC-07-466208)

Thomas Shankland et.al. v. HP (Case No. CGC-07-466211)

Thomas Krazit v. HP (Case No. CGC-07-466210)