SAN FRANCISCO — The controversial pact reached between Hewlett-Packard Co. and Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy in the HP-Autonomy litigation this summer could spell trouble for a smaller Cotchett-HP settlement that has been in the works for more than three years.
A Washington, D.C. group is attempting to disqualify Cotchett as plaintiffs counsel in a consumer class action targeting HP inkjet printers in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The group alleges that Cotchett and his firm, unbeknownst to the court or the class, represented the printer customers while simultaneously negotiating to work for HP in another deal worth at least $18 million in attorney fees.
