> I can not find anyone to explain it in terms a layman can understand...

As far as I can tell, it went briefly that way:
HP sued both Gateway and its subsidiary eMachines over infringement of HP's patents. At that, both Gateway and its subsidiary Amiga Development LLC counter-sued HP over infringement of patents held by them. Finally, the suing parties settled with a patent cross-license agreement and a payment of 47 Million USD from Gateway to HP.