The OEM settled in a case where it had been accused of overcharging the Postal Service.
Reuters reported on the decision by HP to pay a settlement of $32.5 million (€24.2 million) to the US Postal Service (USPS) in an effort to “resolve allegations it overcharged” the USPS. The decision was reported by the US Department of Justice, which was overseeing the case between the OEM and the organisation.
The news outlet stated that HP “did not comply with pricing terms on a contract” it had with the USPS between 2001 and 2010, including a requirement “that it charge prices no greater than those offered [to] other HP customers with comparable contracts”, and HP continues to “not admit liability” despite the settlement.
In May this year, the USPS reported a net loss for the first quarter of $1.9 billion (€1.4 billion), due mostly to “first-class mail volume continu[ing] to tumble”, with US lawmakers remaining “at odds over providing any financial relief”. The USPS also stated at the time that its liabilities were around $64 billion (€47 billion), which exceeded its assets by $42 billion (€31 billion).
Stuart Delery, Head of the US Justice Department’s Civil Division, stated that the department would “continue to ensure that when the government purchases commercial products, it receives the prices to which it is entitled”.