The grieving family of tech mogul Mike Lynch are facing a new ordeal after US giant Hewlett-Packard refused to rule out pursuing them in a legal case.
In 2022, the firm won a multi-million pound High Court lawsuit against Dr Lynch, accusing him of fraud over the 2011 purchase of his company, Autonomy.
His death last week, when his £30m superyacht sank during a freak storm off the coast of Sicily, means his family could be liable for any payout decided by the judge.
But friends of the late businessman, including Conservative MP Sir David Davis, have called on Hewlett-Packard to drop the suit, with one saying it would be a “terrible shame” if it continued.
It is a bitter irony that Dr Lynch, 59, had just been acquitted in a separate criminal trial in the Autonomy case in the US when he and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah died on the superyacht Bayesian.
Mike Lynch, dubbed “Britain’s Bill Gates”, died when his £30m superyacht sank during a freak storm off the coast of Sicily.
Hewlett-Packard has refused to rule out pursuing Mike Lynch’s family in a legal case
British tech mogul Mike Lynch with his wife Angela Bacares, who survived the Bayesian disaster
Now his family, including his wife Angela Bacares, could face a huge legal bill related to the same episode.
Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) has won its civil case over claims that Dr Lynch and Autonomy’s former finance chief Sushovan Hussain inflated the Cambridge-based company’s revenues ahead of its £8bn takeover by Hewlett-Packard.
The US firm initially sought £4bn in damages, although Judge Hildyard ruled the amount would be “substantially less”. It is believed to have spent tens of millions of pounds on legal fees.
At a hearing earlier this year to discuss the level of the payout, HPE said it was still seeking £3bn. It had sales of £22bn and profits of £1.5bn last year.
The corporate hardware and services business is separate from PC and printer maker HP Inc after a split in 2015.
The judge is expected to rule on damages before the end of the year. And the Mail understands that HPE executives will meet to decide how to proceed with the case after that.
A source close to the case said: “It’s in the hands of the judge. We’re waiting to hear from him. There’s no decision to be made until he makes a decision.” A spokesman for HPE, asked if it would rule out seeking damages from Lynch’s heirs, said: “We don’t think it’s appropriate to comment on legal matters in these tragic circumstances.”
Conservative Party leader Sir David said that since the judge ruled the sum awarded to HP would be “far less than what they were claiming”, the company should drop the case.
“I think the most sensible thing for Hewlett-Packard to do in its own interest is to drop the case, because they’re not going to make a lot of money out of it, but they’re going to make themselves very unpopular with the general public by messing with a grieving family.”
Conservative MP Sir David Davis (pictured) has called for Hewlett-Packard to drop the lawsuit.
Tech entrepreneur Lynch with his renovated windmill on his Suffolk farm
Mr Lynch at his Suffolk farm in 2021 as he fought extradition to the US.
The Bayesian (pictured, undated) capsized during a heavy storm on Monday morning.
Hannah Lynch pictured with her father Mike, who had just been acquitted of fraud charges in the US and was celebrating aboard the yacht Bayesian when they both died.
Hannah Lynch, the 18-year-old daughter of tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch
The former cabinet minister, who supported Dr Lynch in his battle against extradition to the US, said he had lunch with the businessman just three weeks ago, after his acquittal, and they planned to meet again soon.
This came as the diver who recovered Hannah’s body from the wreckage of the superyacht revealed he struggled to “keep his emotions under control”.
Italian firefighter Fabio Paoletti, 56, told the Sunday Times: ‘Finding bodies underwater is our job, you get used to it and keep your emotions under control, but locating the girl was different.
“It was an emotional moment because she was so young.”
Paoletti said he had to dodge floating mattresses, tables and electrical wires to reach Hannah’s body, alone in her cabin.
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