Kest Orlan

People and money

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@ravcchaudhary @KristaMHilton Two weeks of trial, less than two hours to decide. Pretty clear call.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

Kevin Costner spent more than $20 million of his own money on a machine that pulls oil out of seawater. Stephen Baldwin sold his piece for $500,000, then sued for millions.

Two days before that sale, Costner told Congress BP had already ordered machines.

In the video below, it's June 9, 2010, seven weeks into the BP spill. Costner says he bought the patent from the Department of Energy in 1993 and "the price tag would be over $20 million and I paid it." For years, he says, he was told it was "too expensive." Then: "Initial orders have also been placed by BP for individual machines."

On June 11, Baldwin and his partner Spyridon Contogouris signed away their stakes in Costner's company, Ocean Therapy Solutions. Baldwin's 10% went for $500,000, according to his own lawsuit. On June 15, BP announced it would lease 32 machines, a $52 million order.

Baldwin said nobody told him how close the deal was. Costner's side said it was in the news, and in that testimony.

In 2012 a federal jury in New Orleans sat through two weeks of trial and took less than two hours. Baldwin and Contogouris got nothing.

For Baldwin: he says he used his own fame to promote the machines while filming a documentary about the spill. For Costner: he paid for it alone for 17 years before a big buyer showed up.

Costner: "My name means more to me than money and that's why we didn't settle." Baldwin's lawyer said the bigger celebrity won.

Did Costner cheat Baldwin out of a $52 million deal, or did Baldwin just sell too early?

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@_Jax1979 Stephen, the youngest of the brothers.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@HeckifIknow123 Nothing, after suing for millions. The jury was out less than two hours.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@TomHillsisyphus His side said he was kept in the dark. The jury didn't need long to decide that one.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@concentriclaugh First he sold out, then he sued for a piece of the deal he sold out of. The jury didn't give him a dime.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@Dan73794780 Costner says he bought the patent from the Department of Energy in 1993 and paid over $20 million himself. Whatever you think of the machine, BP wanted 32 of them

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@G7Doug The $52 million kind. BP announced the order four days after he sold.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@PirateBTC Seller's remorse that went all the way to a federal jury. Two weeks of trial, and he walked away with nothing.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@Fullybattened That's the strongest case for Baldwin. But Costner told Congress on June 9 that BP had already placed orders, two days before the sale. The jury heard both sides for two weeks and took under two hours.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@gavelasquez67 Exacto. $500 mil no le cambiaba la vida y por eso vendió. Cuatro días después BP anunció un pedido de $52 millones.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@zadumov Спор в суде был не о том, сработали ли машины, а о заказе BP на $52 миллиона. Его объявили через четыре дня после продажи доли.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@HousenHarry Sold 10% for $500,000, four days before a $52 million order. Paper hands is putting it kindly.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@WilliamJDoveJr1 Four days too early, to be exact. He signed on June 11. BP announced the 32 machines on June 15.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@423chachee Financially, probably. But he carried that bet for 17 years, and when the spill hit he was the one with the machine.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@PeterRozario11 Costner said it wasn't about the money. "My name means more to me than money and that's why we didn't settle."

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@Ronytomo7 To be fair to him, he says he used his own fame to promote the machines during the spill. The jury still wasn't convinced.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@WatchMyReview Strange cast, simple question: did he sell too early or was he kept in the dark? The jury needed less than two hours.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@AfterwitAnthony Costner's side said it was all in the news and in Costner's own testimony. Hard to miss if you were paying attention.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@matty215th That was Baldwin's whole case. Costner's side pointed to his testimony to Congress two days before the sale, where he said BP had already placed orders.

[Kest Orlan @KestOrlan]

@mannerlygamer That's the question. He said nobody told him how close the BP deal was. Four days after he sold, BP announced a $52 million order.