Hewlett-Packard Co.'s board got caught off guard by the public relations campaign waged on behalf of its ousted chief executive, Mark Hurd, to defend his reputation in the wake of his departure.

H-P's directors 'hoped he would move on,' said one person familiar with the situation, adding that the board prefers to focus on 'protecting the brand and taking the higher ground.'

Mr. Hurd resigned Friday over ethics violations related to his relationship with a former H-P marketing contractor, Jodie Fisher. His exit was announced in an H-P press release that included comments from Mr. Hurd and board members. He left with a separationagreement that included a $12.2 million cash payment and a promise not to disparage the company or 'induce others' to do so.

In the days before his resignation" target="_blank" title="n.辞职(书)；放弃；顺从">resignation, according to a person familiar with the matter, Mr. Hurd hired Sitrick & Co., a Los Angeles-based firm known for handling crisis communications for high-profile individuals, including former H-P chairman Patricia Dunn and celebrity Paris Hilton.

Soon after Mr. Hurd's departure, Glenn Bunting, a Sitrick spokesman, said there was nothing untoward or improper about the relationship between the CEO and Ms. Fisher.

Other widely circulated contentions: a small amount of money was involved in Mr. Hurd's inaccurate expense reports, and he offered to repay the money.

Mr. Hurd also reached a private settlement with Ms. Fisher, who issued a statement saying she 'never had an affair or intimatesexualrelationship' with Mr. Hurd and was sorry he had lost his job.

Some of Mr. Hurd's friends, including Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, have since publicly challenged the H-P board's decision to remove Mr. Hurd.

H-P and its board, meanwhile, have leaned on a handful of public relations firms, including Burson-Marsteller, Bite Communications and Abernathy MacGregor Group Inc., in the aftermath of its the decision to ask Mr. Hurd to resign, the company said.

The board, which is conducting a search for a new H-P chief, has no plans to mount a counterattack against public criticism they have received, the person familiar with the situation said. A war of words 'won't get you anywhere,' this person said.

There are now signs that both sides have concluded that a public feud is counter-productive. Another person familiar with the situation said Tuesday both sides have agreed to 'stand down' in commenting about the situation. An H-P spokeswoman said the company is focused on running its business.

The debate over Mr. Hurd's actions is not just a matter of setting the record straight. It could affect his prospects for future employment.

H-P says an investigation found Mr. Hurd had a 'close personal relationship' with Ms. Fisher that was never disclosed to the board. It revealed 'numerous instances' where Ms. Fisher received compensation where there wasn't a legitimate business purpose. The investigation also found instances where inaccurate expense reports were submitted that had the effect of concealing the relationship.

Potential employers in the future could examine such facts to determine whether it represents a pattern of behavior. Boards 'want to see the facts -- and what that says about his judgment,' said Carlos Gutierrez, a former chief executive of Kellogg Co., who serves on several boards.

H-P's board, during the deliberations about what to do about Mr. Hurd, feared Ms. Fisher's lawyer would publicize her letter alleging sexual harassment if it didn't take action against Mr. Hurd, according to a person familiar with the situation.

Joann S. Lublin / Ben Worthen

• executive [ig´zekjutiv] a.行政的 n.行政官 (初中英语单词)
• release [ri´li:s] vt&n.释放；放松；赦免 (初中英语单词)
• agreement [ə´gri:mənt] n.同意；一致；协议 (初中英语单词)
• payment [´peimənt] n.支付；报酬；报偿 (初中英语单词)
• departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)
• amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)
• intimate [´intimit] a.亲密的 n.知己 (初中英语单词)
• meanwhile [´mi:n´wail] n.&ad.其间；同时 (初中英语单词)
• resign [ri´zain] v.辞职；放弃；委托 (初中英语单词)
• criticism [´kritisizəm] n.批评；评论(文) (初中英语单词)
• running [´rʌniŋ] a.奔跑的；流动的 (初中英语单词)
• debate [di´beit] n.&v.讨论，辩论 (初中英语单词)
• affect [ə´fekt] vt.影响；感动；假装 (初中英语单词)
• investigation [in,vesti´geiʃən] n.调查(研究) (初中英语单词)
• lawyer [´lɔ:jə] n.律师；法学家 (初中英语单词)
• campaign [kæm´pein] n.战役；行动 vi.从军 (高中英语单词)
• behalf [bi´hɑ:f] n.利益 (高中英语单词)
• related [ri´leitid] a.叙述的；有联系的 (高中英语单词)
• relationship [ri´leiʃənʃip] n.关系；联系；亲属关系 (高中英语单词)
• separation [,sepə´reiʃən] n.分离；分开；分居 (高中英语单词)
• resignation [,rezig´neiʃən] n.辞职(书)；放弃；顺从 (高中英语单词)
• crisis [´kraisis] n.转折点；危机 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• oracle [´ɔrəkl] n.预言(者)；圣理名言 (高中英语单词)
• handful [hændful] n.一把，少数，一小撮 (高中英语单词)
• compensation [,kɔmpen´seiʃən] n.补偿，赔偿 (高中英语单词)
• legitimate [li´dʒitimit] a.合法的 vt.使合法 (高中英语单词)
• behavior [bi´heiviə] n.举止，行为 (高中英语单词)
• reputation [repju´teiʃən] n.名誉；名声；信誉 (英语四级单词)
• contractor [kən´træktə] n.订约人；收缩物 (英语四级单词)
• fisher [´fiʃə] n.捕鱼人(船)；鱼貂 (英语四级单词)
• setting [´setiŋ] n.安装；排字；布景 (英语四级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
• ethics [´eθiks] n.伦理学；道德标准 (英语六级单词)
• celebrity [si´lebriti] n.名声；名人 (英语六级单词)
• bunting [´bʌntiŋ] n.旗帜；白颊鸟 (英语六级单词)
• spokesman [´spəuksmən] n.发言人 (英语六级单词)
• improper [im´prɔpə] a.不恰当的；不正确的 (英语六级单词)
• sexual [´sekʃuəl] a.性(欲)的 (英语六级单词)
• publicly [´pʌblikli] ad.公然；公众所有地 (英语六级单词)