California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released the following statement in response to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California allowing California and 12 other attorneys general to intervene in the allegedly corrupt U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. DOJ) settlement of the $14 billion Hewitt Packard Enterprises (HPE)/Juniper Networks merger while the merits of that settlement are evaluated by a judge. Today’s order allows the attorneys general to participate directly in the court’s proceedings to evaluate whether that settlement is in the public interest. Without the states’ intervention, the only participants in the investigation into the settlement would have been those who support the settlement, and the court would hear a one-sided argument.
“Last month, amid allegations of backroom dealings, California and our sister states asked the court to allow us to intervene in the HPE/Juniper merger, approved by U.S. DOJ. We are pleased that the court has granted our motion and are ready to step in and stand up for fairness, transparency, and the integrity of government — ensuring that the public interest, not private influence, guides the outcome,” said Attorney General Bonta. "This is about more than one merger; this case raises serious questions about the integrity of government processes. Antitrust enforcement exists to protect consumers and ensure fair markets, not to reward politically connected companies — let’s find out if that was the case here.”