<a href="Jodie Fisher, a former actress, released a statement through her attorney on Sunday naming herself as the person who made the sexual harassment claim against former Hewlett-Packard Chairman and CEO Mark Hurd that led to his ouster from the company.
Fisher, who’s movie credits include “Body of Influence 2” and “Dead by Dawn,” said she “was surprised and saddened that Mark Hurd lost his job over this. That was never my intention,” in the statement.
She said she has already resolved the sexual harassment claim privately with Hurd, without litigation, and does not intend to comment on it further. The contract work she did for HP involved attending meetings with high level customers and executive summits held around the U.S. and abroad. She said she “worked very hard and enjoyed working for HP.”
HP on Friday announced that Hurd had agreed to resign after sexual harassment allegations were made by a former contractor, who was not named until Fisher revealed herself Sunday.
An investigation by HP found that Hurd had a personal relationship with her that he hid from the board and that he had filed inaccurate expense reports meant to hide the relationship. It also revealed that there were numerous instances where Fisher was paid or reimbursed without having worked.
Fisher says she and Hurd first met in 2007 when she interviewed at HP and that, “Mark and I never had an affair or intimate sexual relationship.”
HP could not immediately be reached for comment.
Fisher was also a reality TV star on the 2007 NBC show Age of Love.
According to show’s bio section on her, Fisher was born on July 17, 1960 and is a self-made woman who runs her own successful business.
She earned a Political Science degree from Texas Tech. Fisher worked as a VP in a commerical real estate firm. The name of the firm was not mentioned. She also worked on a government committee for Narcotics Abuse and Control. Married once, Fisher has a son named Jack.
In the reality TV show, Fisher was one of several women trying to win the heart of tennis star, Mark Philippoussis. Fisher was the first to be eliminated.