HP makes final $1.8bn claim against Mike Lynch’s estate in long-running Autonomy fraud case

HP Makes Final $1.8bn Claim Against Mike Lynch’s Estate in Autonomy Fraud Case

HP has submitted a final claim of $1.8 billion against the estate of Mike Lynch in the long-running Autonomy fraud case. This amount remains significantly above the value of his estate, even though it is far less than the $5 billion originally sought following HP’s troubled 2011 acquisition of Autonomy.

Lynch, who was once called Britain’s answer to Bill Gates, died in August last year when his superyacht sank off Sicily. The tragedy occurred during celebrations after his acquittal in a separate U.S. criminal case, in which seven people, including Lynch and his daughter, lost their lives.

The case centers on a 2022 High Court ruling that held Lynch liable for civil fraud. Justice Hildyard found that Lynch and Autonomy’s former chief financial officer, Sushovan Hussain, had inflated the company’s financial results and misrepresented its performance before the $11 billion sale to HP.

“Lynch and Hussain deliberately misled HP about Autonomy’s financial health,”

the judge ruled, although he also stated that HP would have gone ahead with the acquisition even if it had known the company’s true condition.

Earlier this year, the court determined that Lynch’s estate owed more than £700 million in damages. This week’s hearing aims to finalize the exact amount due, including accrued interest.

Author’s summary:

Lynch’s estate faces a final $1.8bn claim from HP following civil fraud findings over Autonomy’s sale, despite the entrepreneur’s death leaving key financial questions unresolved.

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Business Matters Business Matters — 2025-11-19

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