Quitting and pleading the fifth
HP counsel quits and pleads the fifth at hearing – 28 September 2006 — Pleads the fifth? This sounds like a mob hearing in the 1950’s. What is wrong with this company? This whole scene is unbelieveable. So much for promoting female executives to get a “kinder, gentler” approach to business, eh? Good work gals.
Hewlett Packard’s (HP) general counsel Ann Baskins has quit the embattled technology company and will use the fifth amendment at a House Committee appearance today.
HP made a statement earlier today (28 September) announcing Baskins’ resignation, just ahead of her appearance before the US House Energy & Commerce Committee today.
Nice use of the “eh” Monsieur Dvorak, I think you may be more Canadian then you think. I liked Leo’s summary of how these continuing events has become the people’s magazine story of TwiT.
So whats the difference? I’ve never been able to get a straight answer from a damn lawyer. I think it would be refreshing to have a lawyer just sit there and say nothing.
John: how dare you imply that someone using their 5th amendment rights even hints at innocence or guilt! You’re better than that.
And, why the frak is Congress investigating this stuff? When the rich folk on company boards (who get paid lots of money to do, as we say in Brooklyn, un-gotz) get their phone records checked on, there is a congressional investigation. When privacy violations happen to thousands of regular americans every day, nothing is done.
The rich, the high level business people, the government, pretty much all suck as they have the morals of pond scum (and I might be insulting pond scum).
In this particular case, the board member who squealed to the press deserves jail, as well as the board members who ordered the illegal investigation.
If I was on a jury watching her sit down in the witness box, the first ding to her credibility would be her hair. I mean, whew! Shouldn’t she have her own cable news show?
I like how HP says she put the company’s needs ahead of her own. I guess they are saying “she will take heat off the company by applying it to herself.” Rather selfish of a company that has done no wrong.
Women in upper management to promote a kinder gentler approach to business??????
In what planet do you live? In my experience, women in top management are BITCHES! Much worse than any man! They yell and mistreat all employees, knowing nobody will slap their faces raw on the street if they fire someone unjustly, actively discriminate against employing men, confuse lack of manners with being ambitious… I could go on… Read the ‘Fred’ blog post you mentioned yesterday…
Gosh…. The only thing worse than working for a female boss is working for a portuguese boss… male of female…
Somewhere out there is a person thinking “book deal”, who probably knows about this Spy vs. Spy business model at other companies. I doubt HP invented these practices and were using the only guys around willing to do this kind of “anything for a buck” work. If the subpoena-storm turns up more of this, it may force business schools to put those pesky ethics courses back into their curriculum.
HP would have been better off out-sourcing this to off-shore security weasels. Then when the poop hit the propeller, they could have given investigators their “investigation support” 800 number and by the time they pried out the answers, we will all be dead, HP will be owned by Toyota and it won’t matter anyway.
As for the picture, she does sort of project that gung-ho cable news chick, one Zoloft short of a dose image. But, blowing that much corporate smoke tends to muss your do also.
#6
“Women in upper management to promote a kinder gentler approach to business??????”
I totally agree with you on this, having worked with a number of women bosses. Most of the stuff was over stupid stuff too. The surprising thing is how fast they will turn on each other. The discrimination against men part is about equal to what men to do women in the reverse roll.
I always thought my success with women could be attributed to my good looks, my physical prowess, my romantic tendencies, and my dry wit.
Sadly, it turns out that I’m merely one of the few guys who don’t hate women.
Many women feel they have to out do the boys in the business world. Capitalism isn’t a kind and gentle sport. I don’t really like it, but no one else has demonstrated another economic system that works. In the US we do tend to raise capitalism to a religious status.
I think it is good time to remember the Sims post, re : “kinder and gentler”
http://www.dvorak.org/blog/?p=6706
#3, John: how dare you imply that someone using their 5th amendment rights even hints at innocence or guilt! You’re better than that.
One of the nice things about owning your own blog is you may make whatever sounds you darn well please.
As with anyone who takes the “fifth”, it is because the answer may incriminate you so the implication is already there. The “fifth” is only available where criminal charges might be warranted to that person. If you haven’t done anything then the “fifth” is unavailable.
In this particular case, the board member who squealed to the press deserves jail, …
Why would someone who leaked something to the press deserve jail time? I always thought a crime needed to be committed before you were even charged, let alone jailed.
#12: just to respond… (from #3)
– stuff happens, and depending upon who asks you questions, you may get trapped, or say something you didn’t want to say. To me, the 5th amendment says, let me see the questions in writing, let me have a counsel to help me, and finally, if me and my counsel decide I might incriminate myself, screw you.
– as to the leak, you’re probably right, I overreacted. That being said, if you were working for Company X, and disclosed trade secrets, you would minimally be liable for a civil offence, and depending upon what you said (ie: you were working for a defence contractor), there may be criminal penalties. Regardless, if you sign something as part of your job (or as part of your research), such as a non-disclosure agreement, you can not take that info to the press. End of story.
If you were on the HP board, and decided that the info you had was critical to the shareholders, RESIGN and then tell the press. Have some balls. To do it on the down-low is bull.
Just want to give you a heads up.
HP just purchased voodo PC and is now a major player in the gaming market.
#13, But lou,
The Fifth Amendment as a way to avoid answering is only available to someone who may have committed a crime. If they have knowledge of the crime and will not be charged will not give them that immunity from testifying. Civil accusations can not avail themselves of the fifth.
You got the part right about it not being a crime to leak information from the Board of Directors meetings. The B of Ds are charged by the SEC with safeguarding shareholder’s interests. If a Director believes it is in the shareholder’s interests then he is free to share that information with the press without being forced to resign. Your examples of “well if…” just does not apply.