Mike Lynch, Founder of Autonomy, Sues Hewlett-Packard for $150 Million

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Mike Lynch, the founder of Autonomy, is accusing Hewlett-Packard of making false and negligent statements about him and other former Autonomy executives.Credit Hazel Thompson for The New York Times

The legal wrangling surrounding Hewlett-Packard’s much-maligned takeover of Autonomy, a British data intelligence company, shows no signs of ending.

On Thursday, Mike Lynch, the founder of Autonomy, sued HP in British court for $150 million, accusing the American tech company of making false and negligent statements about him and other former Autonomy executives.

The announcement, which will lead to a civil case in British courts early in 2016, follows a decision by HP this year to seek approximately $5.1 billion in damages from Mr. Lynch and Sushovan Hussain, who was the chief financial officer of Autonomy, in British courts. The figure represents one of the largest-ever civil lawsuits brought against individuals in Britain.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company, which purchased Autonomy for about $11 billion in 2011 and took an $8.8 billion accounting charge related to the acquisition a year later, has accused the two former executives of engaging in fraudulent activities that overvalued the British technology company.

Mr. Lynch, who has been a vocal critic of Meg Whitman, HP’s current chief executive, has denied the claims of wrongdoing, and said that he looked forward to showing his actions had not undermined the multi-billion dollar acquisition.

“By taking these steps, we can take control of the process,” Mr. Lynch said in an interview on Thursday. “We want to get Meg Whitman in court.”

In response, HP said that Mr. Lynch’s lawsuit was a “laughable and desperate attempt to divert attention from the $5 billion lawsuit HP has filed.”

“HP anxiously looks forward to the day Mr. Lynch and Mr. Hussain will be forced to answer for their actions in court,” an HP spokeswoman said in a statement.

Both sides have accused each other of wrongdoing, though British authorities closed their investigation into potential fraudulent activity by Autonomy officials in January, citing “insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.” The United States investigation is continuing.

Mr. Lynch has repeatedly asserted that Autonomy’s accounting practices had been fully approved by the company’s external auditors and that HP’s accusations of wrongdoing are without merit.