1. Judge dismisses case against Patricia Dunn former Chairwoman of Hewlett Packard. It's about time. This is fantastic news. It has been one of the most oppressive prosecutions I've ever known about. She describes the vindication and truth herself below.
eWeek.com Wednesday, 14th March 2007
Judge Dismisses Criminal Case Against Dunn
By Scott Ferguson
In a statement released through her attorney, Dunn expressed relief that the case, which started in September when reports of the company's use of pretexting to find information about board members and the reporters they spoke to came to light, had finally come to an end.
"I am pleased that this matter has been resolved fairly, and want to express my deep gratitude to my husband and family, who never lost faith in me throughout this ordeal," Dunn said in her statement.
"I have been strengthened by wonderful support during this difficult time—both from my dear friends and from people I have never met. I have always had faith that the truth would win out and justice would be served—and it has been."
. . .
"We have maintained from the beginning that Pattie Dunn was innocent and thus vigorously fought the charges against her," said James Brosnahan, one of Dunn's attorneys, in a statement. "Today, the judge dismissed the case. Ms. Dunn did not plead to anything. This is the right result."
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2104042,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594
The New York Times Wednesday, 14th March 2007
Case Dropped in H.P. Spying
Patricia C. Dunn, former chairwoman of Hewlett-Packard, left court with her husband, William Jahnke, after being booked on felony charges last October.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 14 — A California judge today dismissed charges against Patricia C. Dunn, the former chairwoman of Hewlett-Packard, in a corporate spying case that grabbed national headlines and prompted Congressional hearings on protection of personal phone records.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/business/15dunn.html
2. Athough this came out early on Thursday, 15th March 2007, I've included it here for continuity. He does a very good job relating the prosecutorial "politics" which lay behind this legal fiasco and comments on that as well. It's worth reading the entire article at its URL below.
Mercury News Article Launched: 03/15/2007 01:41:27 AM PDT
Herhold: Prosecutors relied on weak legal theory in HP case
By Scott Herhold
Let's just say it straight out: The prosecution of ex-Chairwoman Patricia Dunn and three other defendants in the Hewlett-Packard corporate-espionage case covered the California Attorney General's Office in the kind of mud that's hard ever to wash off.
The chief culprit in this fiasco is ex-AG Bill Lockyer, who got personally invested in the HP case when he was running for treasurer as a termed-out lawman in the fall last year.
But the handling of the case by Attorney General Jerry Brown's people Wednesday reinforced the image of a gang that couldn't shoot straight.
If these people come after you for, say, chopping down a tree without a permit, relax. Not only are they likely to misinterpret the law, they'll probably get your name wrong. What happened in Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Ray Cunningham's court Wednesday was one of the great legal discounts of all time, even if the AG's office had trouble explaining it.
. . .
This is like someone advertising a house for $1 million and then cutting the price to $50,000. No, it's worse: It's like paying someone to take the house off your hands.
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_5440815
Mercury News Article Launched: 03/15/2007 01:35:00 AM PDT
Prosecutors' statements
The California Attorney General's Office on Wednesday provided a confusing account of what happened with state charges against former Hewlett-Packard Chairwoman Patricia Dunn and three co-defendants. The office first said all four would plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge each in connection with HP's investigation into boardroom leaks. Less than two hours later, it released a statement saying it had "mistakenly predicted" the guilty pleas. Excerpts from the statements [see URL below]: