Another theory on H-P sex scandal

Still waiting for a definitive account of what happened between CEO Mark Hurd and his friend Jodie Fisher - and why it was bad enough for the Hewlett-Packard board to force him out. While we wait, the Business Insider's Henry Blodget offers his take on what probably happened. It sounds plausible, especially in lieu of anything else.

1. Mark Hurd spent some quality time with Jodie Fisher, some of which was on the company's dime. He developed a crush on her or she developed a crush on him, and the feeling was, initially, mutual.

2. Someone--Mark or Jodie--wanted the quality time to progress to a full-blown love affair. For whatever reason--perhaps because the lust was, at some point, unrequited--it did not.

3. Jodie Fisher stopped getting consulting assignments from HP and stopped having quality time with Mark. This likely happened either because 1) Mark decided a quick romp the relationship wasn't worth risking his job and/or wrecking his marriage over or 2) because Mark had realized he wasn't going to get lucky and moved on or 3) because Jodie Fisher suddenly felt uncomfortable in Mark's presence.

4. Sometime thereafter, Jodie Fisher concluded that "sexual harassment" had occurred. (Because her love was unrequited and she was obsessed and disappointed? Because Mark demanded consulting services that she didn't want to provide? As yet, we don't know.)

5. Jodie threatened to sue Mark for sexual harassment.

6. HP's board freaked.

7. HP's board investigated the sexual harassment claim and found... nothing. But...

8. HP's board was still terrified of the bad publicity that would ensue when Fisher's attorney, Gloria "Pit Bull" Allred, went on all the talk shows raving about what a horrible sex predator their CEO was and how he had demanded an innocent single mother do all sorts of heinous things and then fired her when she didn't.

9. HP's board, thankfully, found some inaccuracies in Mark's expense reports, which they realized they could use to oust him--and, thereby, conveniently, avoid the bad publicity above.

10. HP's board concluded that the inaccuracies did NOT constitute obvious proof of fraud or embezzlement and that it was worth $40 million in severance not to have Mark Hurd sue the company for wrongful termination. And they therefore demanded his resignation instead of firing him.