Almost lost amidst the media firestorm over California Attorney General Bill Lochyer’s decision to prosecute former Hewlett Packard board chairperson Patricia Dunn was this news item that Lochyer’s office has decided not to sue or prosecute former Getty Trust president and former University of Houston president Barry Munitz (prior posts here).
Lochyer’s office had been investigating Munitz over misuse of trust money for his wifeís travel, using employees for personal errands and making improper payments to a graduate student from trust funds. Lochyer’s office concluded that no legal action was advisable because Munitz’s actions were authorized by the Getty board and that his settlement with the Getty Trust when he resigned exceeded the value of what the state could recover from Munitz in a civil action or a prosecution.
In other words, Lochyer concluded that there was no need to prosecute Munitz because he had done the right thing in settling up with the Getty Trust. That decision in regard to Munitz makes his decision to prosecute Ms. Dunn all the more curious. Perhaps Ms. Dunn should have done lunch with Lochyer?