Reuters California's attorney general has accused Hewlett-Packard and its lawyers of misleading investigators and frustrating state and federal probes into potential defects in millions of computers, according to a Monday report.

The Wall Street Journal said the state disclosed the "improper tactics" in court documents unsealed within the last two weeks in the Superior Court of California in San Francisco.

The Journal said the allegation surrounds $27.5 million in consulting fees HP paid to Phillip Adams, a computer expert who had alerted law-enforcement officials about suspected flaws in floppy-disk drives in HP's and other companies' PCs that can randomly delete or alter data without a person's knowledge.

As state and federal officials investigated his claims, the paper said, Adams abruptly switched sides and signed a lucrative consulting agreement to help defend HP in certain future litigation.

He also handed over his patented software "fix" to the company and pledged that he wouldn't assist private plaintiffs' lawyers seeking damages from HP, the Journal said, citing the court documents.

According to the paper, over the weekend, a representative for California Attorney General Bill Lockyer said that the state went after the "truly extraordinary conduct" of HP and Adams "to prevent whistle-blowers from switching sides in (a case) midstream, colluding with the defendants" for financial gain "and then undermining" state cases.

HP could not immediately be reached for comment early on Monday morning.

-- Anonymous, January 14, 2003