Man sues over idea in Macondo cap

Court case: Man claims companies stole his trade secrets for Macondo device

A Virginia man is suing companies involved with the Deepwater Horizon spill cleanup, claiming they stole valuable trade secrets of his to make the device that ultimately shut in the well.

Charles Adams of Radford, Virginia names Cameron, Helix and ED&M Deepwater Engineering as defendants in the suit, filed last week in federal court in Virginia.

He is seeking damages of at least $150 million.

No one could be reached for comment at Cameron's Houston office late Wednesday. A Helix spokesman said the company does not generally comment on pending litigation.

"The plaintiff, a Virginia inventor, conceived the critical technological breakthrough that made capping this runaway well possible and provided it to defendants," the suit says, "...enriching the defendants to the detriment of Adams."

In the…

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