REUTERS/Sean Gardner; AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
Stephen Baldwin wasn't asked to invest any capital in developing the oil-separation devices Kevin Costner later sold to BP in the wake of 2010's Deepwater Horizon spill.
But he did use his celebrity image to push the innovative technology.
The youngest of the Baldwin brothers testified on Monday in New Orleans in his federal lawsuit against the Hatfields & McCoys star, telling a jury that he's owed big-time for lending his famous name to market and promote the centrifuges.
"When you're famous, it opens doors and things like that," said Baldwin in court, per the Hollywood Reporter.
The 46-year-old Usual Suspect and friend Spyridon Contogouris sued Costner and his business partner, Patrick Smith, in December 2010, alleging that the duo duped them into selling shares in Ocean Therapy Solutions, the company that manufactured the machines, for $500,000 and $1.4 million respectively.
In court papers, Baldwin claimed that Costner and Smith led them to believe there was no interest in the technology, only to learn subsequently that BP licensed 32 of the devices for $52 million to aid the cleanup of the Gulf Coast following the April 2010 oil rig disaster. Now the thespian wants hefty damages, citing securities fraud and misrepresentation allegedly committed by the Oscar winner.
On the witness stand, Baldwin vehemently disputed allegations Costner made in court Friday that he never saw the former contribute monetarily to the development of the centrifuges. Baldwin testified that he could have come up with the dough to invest in Ocean Therapy, even though he had filed for bankruptcy the year before, if Costner had solicited him because he could have asked his "big brother" (we presume he means Alec).
But at the end of the day, Baldwin stressed his "job was to market and promote."
"I had no responsibilities relevant to getting the devices in the water," he told the jury, stressing that he was a "door opener" who brought publicity to the project through TV and radio interviews in the weeks following the spill.
The actor and born-again Christian added that he had teamed up with Costner because he thought the centrifuges were a worthwhile environmental initiative, not necessarily out of a desire to line his pocketbook.
"I wanted the machines to work," remarked Baldwin. "Make some money? Great. Not my first motivation."
Costner last week downplayed Baldwin's role in the sale of the centrifuges, saying Ocean Therapy Solutions CEO John Houghtaling pleaded with Baldwin and Contogouris not to sell their shares before the agreement with BP went through.
He also added that he did not exclude them from a June 2010 dinner he had with BP executive Doug Suttles, saying any deal at that point was premature because the centrifuges needed to pass some tests required by the oil giant.
"I wasn't hiding anything," Costner testified on Friday. "There was no intention to deceive or hide in the dark the good news."
Costner's attorney, Wayne Lee, insisted his client had nothing to do with Baldwin and Contogouris selling their stake in the company.
Baldwin's testimony is expected to resume today.