(UPDATE: Costner’s rep tells EW that the actor’s lawyers filed a Motion to Dismiss Feb. 1. According to his rep, “[The Motion states] that there are no allegations or claims even in the complaint itself that Costner did anything wrong or participated in any way in the decision by Baldwin and Contogouris to sell their interests in Ocean Therapy Solutions back to another member of that company or the repurchase of those interests.”) Stephen Baldwin is suing Kevin Costner for $3.8 million over a tiff involving oil-separating technology that the Waterworld actor pushed to help solve the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. A complaint filed in Louisiana District Court alleges that Baldwin and friend Spyridon Contogouris entered into a joint agreement to help market the technology — developed under the Costner in Nevada Corporation (CINC) — to BP following the spill. Court papers, however, claim Costner excluded them from a meeting with BP that resulted in an $18 million down payment for the CINC technology. After allegedly not being told of the meeting, Contogouris and Baldwin claim Costner used the $18 million to buy them out of the enterprise, forcing them to give up approximately $2 million of their shares one day prior to BP’s $52 million purchase of CINC technology. Contogouris is suing for $10.64 million; both plaintiffs are claiming securities fraud and misrepresentation.
Read more:
Oil spill update: Mr. Costner goes to Washington
Kevin Costner will save the world. Or just fix the Gulf oil spill crisis.
Wait a minute – BP paid Kevin Costner $52 million for oil-separating technology? Whaaa?
Where have you been? Is this your only source of news? Idiot!
Is it really necessary to call someone an idiot because she’s a little behind on the news? It’s not as if the Costner thing was front-page. Either way if you’re not in the 5th grade, you should probably get to work on your anger-management issues.
I agree 100% with Ana. Only one person here is pathetic.
I think you need to chill a little … I didn’t know that he was paid for this.. I think he should have just offered it.Kinda disappointed in Costner.
Dude, I’m a news junkie and I didn’t know that. Merry Christmas. You’re mean.
Gee Costner is a Crook.. who would have thought it. I guess this makes him an ECO-Crook
Not everyone can keep up on all the latest Kevin Costner news…
I dont understand why its so wrong for cosner to have charged for something? I mean arent we in america? capitalism and all that..
I am an idiot too. And a news junkie. I also think you are mean.
urpathetic; look in the mirror.
Costner was all over the news when this went down. How did you people miss this?
UrPathetic, you represent everything wrong with the world today: mean, arrogant, out-to-prove-something personality disorder. Not having known a piece of news does not make someone an idiot.
URPathetic, crawl back into your hole and die. When you do, I doubt anyone will mourn. Troll.
Seriously, if you followed the spill, how could you not know about the Costner thing? Even if you only read entertainment “news” or People magazine you would have come across that.
Sorry dude, pathetic. Accept that it was a d!ckish thing to say and move on. No one cares if your were right or wrong.
you are pathetic!
URPathetic needs a fire hydrant stuffed up their ass.
Wait. Who is the idiot calling out someone. Take the advice of anger management. lol
You must really be constipated. I would suggest a big dose of castor oil. Not sure if that would help your tiny little brain but it may give you a pause to reflect the samll size of your genitials or lack there of.
Attention shoppers: Please note that the guy used the name URPathetic and figure out he’s just a troll looking to stir up comments. And here we all are.
Seriously was it necessary to call names? Are you that unhappy? I’m sorry life dealt you a bad hand, but make lemonade.
I guess im an idiot too,Merry Christmas Genius!
Don’t worry. Anna is just a stupid c unt that needs a good backhand.
MANHOOD101. COM <–keeping c unts like anna in check
I didn’t know Costner got a windfall for it, but then I didn’t follow every aspect of the spill. There is a point one gets so disgusted you just can’t bear to look anymore. Take your anger and place it at PB and those who inhibited the cleanup instead of blowing a gasket at a poster for not keeping up on every facet of the story.
loved kevin costner…RIP
Hey ass face, Im a news freak & didnt know about this Costner thing either. I must have been busy reading about the war, politics, local crime or Lindsay Lohan antics. Things that really matter.
Relax dude… I read several news sites every day and this is the first I’ve heard of this. Besides, its not even front page type info.
All of you claiming Costner should have his technology for free – do YOU work for free?
Costner may have launched the company (with others), but they’ve invested significant $$$ to get the product to market.
The greedy ones in this equation are those suggesting (demanding?) he should give up his (and his investor’s) cash.
Maybe you’d like to chip in YOUR “fair share”?
Didn’t think so.
I didn’t know he was paid for it, either. When Costner first presented this, he made it seem he had purely altruistic motives. Guess I was wrong.
Actually, this was front page news on just about every news site. I as well am surprised that some people missed it but that doesn’t make anyone an idiot for missing it.
Fishsticks, have you read the comments here attackiing URPathetic? And you call HIS comment childish? Really?
By the way, I agree with URPathetic, but not with the way he said what he did. I don’t see how anyone could have missed the bit about Costner and the cleanup. The so-called “news junkies” obviously aren’t. I heard that story from multiple sources, and I would not say I followed the spill story obsessively.
I read multiple news sites every single day (drudge, cnn, infowars, msnbc, fox) and have never heard of this. What I do know is that the oil is sitting at the bottom of the ocean and corexit is killing all the workers and people who were exposed. The workers on exxon valdez died at the average age of about 52. Hey but at least corexit hid the oil.
I guess it takes a megageek to keep up with this story. Hate to say it to those who knew about this story, you may be ultra intelligent, but you’re arrogance on the subject would indicate a severe lack of socializing skills.
Suck our collective asses.
Why so cranky? I bet there are things you don’t know anything about that are common sense to many people.
Why is everyone assuming that Costner is guilty and will lose in this lawsuit. Not every law suit wins, you know. You all need to chill out and wait and see what happens before passing judgement.
Costner should have donated the equipment. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Certainly it would be altruistic. It would also be fiscally irresponsible towards anybody that invested in the tech. I’m flabbergasted by people’s simple-mindedness sometimes.
Costner’s company employs many people, so why would you think he’d give away the technology for free? Some actors may be wealthy, but their incomes pale in comparison to leaders of business and commerce, who don’t give away their products or technology, so why would Costner?
I’m pretty sure Costner didn’t research and develop the technologies himself, that’s what his corporation’s staff is for. He probably just put up a bunch of money because it was a good idea and he wanted to fund it. Accepting the $52mm will simply pay the people who did the real work (payroll) and refund his (probably out of pocket) expenses. ROI. It will probably also start funding his water filtering project. So of course he shouldn’t just “donate” it, the people who did the work deserve that paycheck.
As for responses to URPathetic – he probably also corrects his mother’s grammar, he’s a troll, stop feeding him.
I, myself, am a news junkie as well…that being said, I wasnt aware of this. That being said, im not taking sides or have an opinion until I hear more of the story. SO…………Ur pathetic…go back to molesting beagles and stuffed animals. Whatever it is you do, you suck and have no business in a community that revolves around intelligent conversation.
It is heartbreaking seeing EW change so drastically with all these commentators being so blatantly cruel under the cloak of anonymity. What horrible karma.
Wow, there are a lot of comments, most of which are just immature. I’m surprised no one mentioned the spammer who posted nothing related to the topic.
LOL. Hello? And how shrewd of Costner.
He’s also trying to market that filter that turns pee into drinking water.
Awesome.
waydaminit. Y’can’t drink pee just as it is? Tell that to the marines…
You can to a certain extent. Its called being an Urophagist (spelling?).
I drink urine cause it’s sterile and I like the taste.
It already exists and is out there in the market….sorry
I always found that part silly, as it’s far easier to extract fresh water from salt water through simple boiling and evaporation.
Yep…they call it “Mountain Dew”.
When he comes up with something that turns sh&t into gold, then I will be impressed.
He did, or have you not seen any of his movies?
Eh, he was charging BP for it…do you think they would have “passed the savings on” to the American people had he given it to them?
Yeah, so do I.
Thank you PDX. Every time this comes up, I’m shocked that people want Costner to give BP charity.
Yes, Kevin Costner is rich, but this technology is actually a shockingly effective, efficient, and inexpensive cleanup method. And since we generally consider BP the “evil empire”, I’m glad he didn’t give it away for free.
Jen, lol..you are so funny! Whaaa?!~ I agree. Who would think,right!
ha,ha,ha the Irony is that i was the one who came up with the Idea for this technology…and it was stolen form me and the public…they never payed what i ask for the Idea…so it suit them right…it stil my idea til they pay me the price for it…and they know what it is…
Underachiever.
I come up with that idea and never got payed for it, so stil mine…til they pay me it will forever be my idea…and they know what the price is so easy to have payed for it…but didn’t so stil and forever my my idea…it was meant for the public to help with the oil spill for a small price…
Costners system did not work as professed or designed (as a skimmer) but BP came up with a system to make it useful and cost effective, by putting it on barges to seperate the oil and water that the real skimmers had collected, thereby reducing the need to dispose of the water. That’s where the money savings was made from with this device, but not as a skimmer as Costner tried to sell it as.
Ironically, since the “civil justice” system is an auction house, the potential for both sides to spend MILLIONS and receive NOTHING is the most certain outcome. The plaintiffs will MOST-LIKELY wind up Pro Se, then defeated with COURT ORDERS that will force them into bankruptcy… while the profiteer Cosner loses MILLIONS in legal fees and court-ordered judgments he will NEVER collect.
Too bad Cosner doesn’t get “the math” and make them a settlement offer upfront. That way, everybody involved wins. The net bottom line: Avoid the broken court system auction house at all costs. It is a mess badly in need of reforms.
Change your votes from dishonest lawyer to honest leader to make it happen.
That is my opinion.
Jen, you’re not an idiot, obviously. BPs North American Headquarters is in Warrenville, IL, just two minutes from my house, and I didn’t know anything about this technology purchase until now. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Patrick
EarthFriendlyMovingInc is right. Everyone knows that major corporations employ Town Cryers that ride around on horseback, announcing the company’s daily news. If you don’t live within a few miles of a company, you might not no what is going on. But EarthFriendlyMovingInc does, and even he misses it.
If anyone thinks his company should give it away for free, I’d love to hire you to come work for me for free. Maybe BP will give you free gas to come to work in your free car and the property management company won’t require us to pay for our lease.
I should sue Costner for Waterworld.
And the Postman
Yea! The Postman was beyond terrible!!
The civil justice system is an auction house so both sides will spend MILLIONS and receive NOTHING as the result of one going bankrupt. This is the paradox of a broken “system”. This is the most likely outcome. The plaintiffs will MOST-LIKELY wind up Pro Se, then defeated with unjust COURT ORDERED judgments forcing them into bankruptcy… while the profiteer Cosner loses MILLIONS in legal fees and court-ordered judgments he will NEVER collect.
Too bad Cosner doesn’t get this “math” upfront and make a concise business case settlement offer WITHOUT DISHONEST LEGAL COUNSEL. That way, everybody involved wins – except the dishonest lawyers that profit from “the system”. The net bottom line: Avoid the broken court system auction house at all costs. It is an utter mess badly in need of reforms.
Change your votes from dishonest lawyer to honest leader to make it happen.
That is my opinion.
@FreeJustice: Do you even know what “pro se” means? Or are you a 1L throwing around the legal jargon you just learned? Look it up. No one will appear pro se in this case.
I’ll be your co-complaintant.
…sounds more like a class-action suit – count me in.
I’ll be your character witness…and you can totally get damages…
Need a lawyer? I’ll do it pro-bono.
Actually I thought Waterworld and Postman were pretty decent sci-fi flicks. But if you want to sue him for Wyatt Earp, I’m in. I went to see that movie in 1994…I’m not sure if it’s over yet.
Does he also sell human gills?
Costner should counter-sue on behalf of everyone…for subject EVERYTHING STEPHEN BALDWIN HAS EVER DONE…(Movie & TV-wise, that is).
Amen.
You’re exactly right. Some knucklheads will say, “What about ‘The Usual Suspects’? While that movie was good, Baldwin still sucked in it. He is terrible, just terrible.
Yeah, but the scene in Threesome when he put Josh Charles’ hand on his butt was pretty hot.
What about The Usual Suspects?
Face it, they both stink.
They both really are Turrible.
isn’t Stephen Baldwin the broke one who was beseeching Christians to donate money to help him? Where’d he get money to ‘invest’ in anything?
Good one!!!!
LMAO!
Waterworld should have been marketed as a comedy. Hey look at this paper! I’ve never seen that before it must be valuable! Now excuse me while I light this fine commercially rolled cigarette.
Since the civil justice system is really an auction house, both sides will spend MILLIONS and receive NOTHING. This is the most likely outcome. The plaintiffs will MOST-LIKELY wind up Pro Se, then defeated with unjust COURT ORDERED judgments forcing them into bankruptcy… while the profiteer Cosner loses MILLIONS in legal fees and court-ordered judgments he will NEVER collect.
Too bad Cosner doesn’t get “the math” and make a concise business case settlement offer upfront. That way, everybody involved wins. The net bottom line: Avoid the broken court system auction house at all costs. It is an utter mess badly in need of reforms.
Change your votes from dishonest lawyer to honest leader to make it happen.
That is my opinion.
If true, Costner is a D-bag.
Let’s not jump to any blind conclusions a la Mel Gibson controversy, and let’s check real news outlets for our news!! Having posted that, Baldwin is flat broke and had his house foreclosed not too long ago and no projects on the horizon….of course a lawsuit is a viable option for him right now!!!
maybe he and randy quaid can get an apartment together.
What does that have to do with the merits of the suit? If Costner kept information to himself in order to deptive his partners of their proceeds, he should be sued and also tried in a criminal court for insider trading. I don’t know if that is case or not, obviously, since that will be settled through legal means, but if Baldwin’s allegations are true, he is entitled to take legal action.
I love how people turn into junior lawyers at a whim. Saying he should be charged with insider trading makes as much sense as saying he should be charged with arson. I also think Stephen Baldwin is the type to try to make a buck any way he can, even with deception and dishonesty. The fact he’s an evangelist just backs that statement up.
Here’s a definition of insider trading – •The illegal dealing in shares by people who, because of their privileged position, have information, which materially impacts on the value of the shares, before that information has been made public. …
That is what Stephen Baldwin is alleging.
No it isn’t. This has nothing to do with shares other than Stephen Baldwin choosing to sell some. They are alleging they were “forced” to sell shares and not paid for consulting services that were agreed to. This is not insider trading in any way.
Spyridon? Since when did Stephen Baldwin start hanging out with the Legion of Doom?
What would Jesus do? Sue your ass.
A has-been and a never-were suing each other. Dueling D-bags.
too funny!
You stole my comment!
Now that’s a good one! And a TRUE one! Actually, you can’t pic, just on Stephen Baldwin. None of those Baldwins have an ounce of talent.
While you may be right SYLVI, Alec’s saving grace is that he was the best Jack Ryan. Fit the role better than Harrison Ford, and in the other case, wasn’t the Chief D-Bag-of-em-all, Ben AFLAC.
I’ve always watend to go to a wax museum. When I was in Cali with my cousin she wouldn’t go in with me and I wasn’t going to by myself so I skipped. I am going to have to go one one of these days particularly with you LOL!Glad to see you had a good time and the photographs are great. I am jealous you met Forest LOL!
Creetad the greatest articles, you have.
Since when does Stephen Baldwin have the brains and/or money to be involved in such a high tech job? Or even a low tech job, like acting?
I agree. What is Baldwin doing with that much money? Ain’t right.
Baldwin didn’t have money – he agreed to help promote and then was cut out of the high level talks. He didn’t invest a dime.
Lin, Read the article. How could they give up millions of shares if they did not own them (having paid for them!). Duh.
They are both d bags for attempting to make a profit off a natural disaster. I wonder if Costner and the phony Christian were ever going to donate the money to the fisherman and tourism workers who can no longer feed their families. Burn all these f’ers at the stake.
michael your post has to go down as one of the dumbest post of all time. so smart guy maybe they shouldnt have invented the cap to go on the well, because someone might be profiting from it.
Hi Chris, you flaming A hole, I hope you have a wretched holiday season. The govt made the cap, not a bunch of d bag celebs go make love to a shot gun
Wow, somebody was unfortunate enough to hit their time of the month at Christmas.
Michael… BP bought the technology. Besides, what should Costner have done? Gone to a bunch of fishermen and said here’s some technology you have no clue how to use but I’m gonna give it to you for free even though it cost me money to invent it.
Are you kidding? You actually think that Costner “invented” this technology? He financed it and brought it to the world’s attention.
In other words, we’d not only have it, but have it just as soon without Costner’s money, Frank? Not sure how that works. From my experience, research costs money.
Costners system did not work as professed or designed (as a skimmer) but BP came up with a system to make it useful and cost effective, by putting it on barges to seperate the oil and water that the real skimmers had collected, thereby reducing the need to dispose of the water. That’s where the money savings was made from with this device, but not as a skimmer as Costner tried to sell it as.
An oil spill is not a natural disaster.
Open your eyes dumbass. Almost every invention on Earth exists because of the potential for profit. Cash is a wonderful motivator that drives innovation. Do you think ER doctors, Hurricane/Flood salvage technology and fire fighters should all be free ? How about treatments for AIDS or cancer ?
It looks like Costner is fitting in very well with the self-enriching dirt-bags in DC. The American taxpayers are the real suckers…52 million times over. I
The article clearly states that the technology was purchased by BP, not the “American taxpayer”.
^ Exactly.
another baldwin scamp trying to fuel his addiction. kevin is one of the best actors
*This comment brought to you by the year 1990.
Why didn’t Baldwin try to sell the “Biodome” technology with Pauly Shore?
A d-bag taking advantage of a dumbass. Hard to know whom to root for.
LOL
Why in the world would Costner go into business with a lunatic like Stephen Baldwin, who thinks that mankind walked alongside living dinosaurs?
My 3rd grade teacher was a living dinosaur…at least I thought so!
I like it. People who work for 4 layers of managers complaining about somebody running a real business like real businesses are run. Yes, it is evil to sell products for money and profit. Sayeth those whose jobs amount to waiting for the boss to tell them what to do next.
We must have been reading different comments. I’m not so certain that enough are from that high up on the food chain to create a majority. As figures of speeches go however… haha
This is Baldwin’s best gig in YEARS. Wait – it’s his ONLY gig in years.
to be fair he was kinda in that semi porn niche that was earning him alot more money than you’d think…and he now refuses to do those movies because of his faith. His wife and kids support the fact that he’s gotta foreclose and everything because he’s turning roles down. He’s no great actor, I get that. But he seems to be very genuine in his faith so I don’t think we should make fun of THAT. Make fun of other stuff