HP, Agilent to Pay $7-Million Settlement

Hewlett-Packard Co. and Agilent Technologies Inc. agreed to pay $7 million to the U.S. to settle claims they sold the government defective medical monitoring devices, lawyers for the plaintiff said.

A suit filed by a former HP engineer had claimed the companies sold products to the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs knowing they failed too often. The government intervened on behalf of the whistle-blower to pursue the lawsuit.

The products included oxygen and anesthesia monitors.

HP couldn’t be reached for comment. Agilent confirmed the settlement.

Palo Alto-based HP rose 88 cents to $13.86, and Agilent, also based in Palo Alto, rose 21 cents to $18.53, both on the NYSE.