Hewlett Packard's offshoots, HP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise have agreed to cough up just over a day's combined profits for the last quarter to settle a class-action case brought by employees who were over 40 and got laid off when the company. The group sued HP and HPE in 2016 claiming both the new entities and the old Hewlett Packard had unfairly targeted older employees for layoffs as far back as 2012.
"Throughout the litigation, each Defendant has denied, and continues to deny, the allegations described above," lawyers for the plaintiffs wrote in the settlement notice. Nonetheless, the settlement notice was filed without opposition from HP and HPE.While the case is no doubt an increasingly expensive annoyance for the two HPs, their lawyers made it clear that waiting out the case was also an option. The filing points out several plaintiffs have already died during the legal action.
"The Parties are in a good position to evaluate the risks of continued litigation against the benefits of settlement," the settlement notice noted."While plaintiffs won several major motions … they recognize that this ongoing litigation poses significant risks." HP and HPE"also won significant motions in this action," the lawyers note, but"even if plaintiffs were to prevail at trial, extended appeals are likely, further delaying potential relief." Given"six ADEA have already passed away, and the chances are that the same is true for some California Class Members," delaying settlement further would entail substantial risks for both parties.