Mesa Air Group said on Tuesday that CFO Peter Murnane wasn’t deleting important company data when he used special file-erasing software on his three computers. Rather, he was trying to get rid of pornographic material he had collected on the job.

The information was presented at an evidentiary hearing after Hawaiian Airlines sued Mesa Air Group for allegedly starting a low-fare Hawaiian airline, Go!, based on illegally obtained information. Hawaiian Airlines accused Mesa of obtaining the information from one of its employees that posed as a potential investor during Hawaiian’s bankruptcy.

Sidney Levinson, attorney for Hawaiian Airlines, raised an eyebrow at the claim. He called the news “a transparent effort to distract the court’s attention and undermine the credibility of one of Mesa’s most senior officers.”

“You have to wonder why Mesa thinks that smearing their own star witness with allegations of pornography benefits them,” he said.

Christopher Pappaioanou, Vice President for Legal Affairs at Mesa, defended Mesa’s allegations. Pappaioanou testified that he discovered Murnane looking at pornographic websites when he came into work one Saturday morning.

Hawaiian Airlines is hoping for an injunction against Mesa Airlines, prohibiting the company from selling tickets for a year, as well as monetary compensation.