HP Retirees Class Certified

June 8, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - A California Superior Court judge has certified almost 4,000 Hewlett-Packard retirees as a class in a lawsuit against their former employer.

The retirees are suing for retirement benefits lost as a result of their being reclassified without their permission, as retirees of Hewlett-Packard’s spin-off Agilent Technologies. That reclassification allegedly caused the retirees to lose the retirement benefit of being able to purchase HP products at a discount.

Judge Gregory H. Ward of the California Superior Court in San Jose, California issued the class certification order.

Gold “Watch”

The class representative is Mark G. Leonard, a HP employee for over 20 years He became an HP Gold Badge Retiree in 1999, before Agilent was formed, only to be informed months after his retirement that he had been classified as an Agilent retiree without his permission.

Leonard is quoted as saying he chose to pursue the action after a year of letters and phone calls to the company failed to resolve the issue.

The plaintiffs expect the trial to take place in 2002.

– Nevin Adams                             editors@plansponsor.com

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