HP 2011 Annual Report Download - page 156

HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (Continued)
Note 18: Litigation and Contingencies (Continued)
wasted corporate assets and were unjustly enriched by concealing material information and
making false statements about HP’s business model and the future of webOS, the TouchPad and
HP’s PC business and by authorizing the Company’s repurchase of its own stock on August 29,
2010 and July 21, 2011.
•Richard Tyner v. L´ eo Apotheker, et al., is a lawsuit filed on October 5, 2011 in California Superior
Court alleging, among other things, that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties, wasted
corporate assets and were unjustly enriched by concealing material information and making false
statements about HP’s business model and the future of webOS, the TouchPad and HP’s PC
business and by authorizing the Company’s repurchase of its own stock on August 29, 2010 and
July 21, 2011.
Environmental
Our operations and our products are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign laws and
regulations concerning environmental protection, including laws addressing the discharge of pollutants
into the air and water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, the cleanup
of contaminated sites, the content of its products and the recycling, treatment and disposal of its
products. In particular, HP faces increasing complexity in its product design and procurement
operations as it adjusts to new and future requirements relating to the chemical and materials
composition of its products, their safe use, and the energy consumption associated with those products,
including requirements relating to climate change. We also are subject to legislation in an increasing
number of jurisdictions that makes producers of electrical goods, including computers and printers,
financially responsible for specified collection, recycling, treatment and disposal of past and future
covered products (sometimes referred to as ‘‘product take-back legislation’’). HP could incur substantial
costs, its products could be restricted from entering certain jurisdictions, and it could face other
sanctions, if it were to violate or become liable under environmental laws or if its products become
non-compliant with environmental laws. HP’s potential exposure includes fines and civil or criminal
sanctions, third-party property damage or personal injury claims and clean up costs. The amount and
timing of costs under environmental laws are difficult to predict.
HP is party to, or otherwise involved in, proceedings brought by U.S. or state environmental
agencies under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act
(‘‘CERCLA’’), known as ‘‘Superfund,’’ or state laws similar to CERCLA. HP is also conducting
environmental investigations or remediations at several current or former operating sites pursuant to
administrative orders or consent agreements with state environmental agencies.
Note 19: Segment Information
Description of Segments
HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, software, solutions and services to
individual consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses (‘‘SMB’’), and large enterprises, including
customers in the government, health and education sectors. Our offerings span personal computing and
other access devices; multi-vendor customer services, including infrastructure technology and business
process outsourcing, technology support and maintenance, application development and support
services and consulting and integration services; imaging and printing-related products and services; and
enterprise information technology infrastructure, including enterprise storage and server technology,
148