SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Mark Hurd was sued by his former employer, Hewlett-Packard, Tuesday, the day after he was hired as co-president of rival Oracle Corp., an HP spokeswoman said.

Hewlett-Packard contends in its lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in Santa Clara, Calif., that Hurd violated a confidentiality provision in his severance agreement when he took the Oracle job.

"Mark Hurd agreed to and signed agreements designed to protect H-P's trade secrets and confidential information," a spokeswoman for the Palo Alto, Calif., computer maker said. "H-P intends to enforce those agreements."

Representatives for Hurd and Oracle declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Hurd resigned from Hewlett-Packard last month amid news of a scandal involving his relationship with a marketing consultant. He was hired by Oracle co-founder Lawrence Ellison Monday to help run the Redwood City, Calif., software maker.