LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - The estate of late British

tech tycoon Mike Lynch was on Tuesday refused permission to

appeal a ruling by London's High Court that he was liable to

Hewlett Packard Enterprise ( HPE ) over its acquisition of his

firm Autonomy.

The U.S. technology giant Hewlett Packard ( HPE ) is seeking damages

from the estate of Lynch, who diedin 2024 when his luxury yacht

sank off Sicily, over its 2011 acquisition of Autonomy for $11.1

billion.

HP accused Lynch and Autonomy's former chief financial

officer, Sushovan Hussain, of inflating the firm's value before

the takeover. HP wrote down Autonomy's worth by $8.8 billion

within a year of the purchase.

In 2022, the High Court found Lynch and Hussain liable to HP

over the deal. Lawyers for Lynch's estate sought permission to

appeal, which was refused though they can apply directly to the

Court of Appeal.