Retired two-time NBA champion David West has just lost out on a potential $1.4 million settlement for his claim relating to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
As detailed by Mark Schleifstein of NOLA.com, a recent court ruling declared West to be ineligible for the claim.
The appeals court reversed a lower court ruling that had upheld a claim filed by West for “lost” earnings as part of the BP disaster private claims settlement process.
The 5th Circuit agreed with BP that West couldn’t show that the $1.4 million less he was paid as salary in 2010, compared with 2009, was caused by the April 20, 2010, sinking of the oil rig and ensuing oil spill.
The ruling clearly stated West simply had no basis to claim that his income was somehow affected by the disaster.
“He received every penny specified in that contract both before and after the spill,” the ruling said.
“In 2010, he earned exactly what he was entitled to receive under his contract. The fact that West received less money in 2010 than in 2009 does not mean he ‘lost’ anything or was ‘damaged’ in any way.”
This is a pretty big blow for West, but in truth, it's not as if this recent development is going to spell the end of the world for him — at least from a financial point of view.
Prior to retiring in 2018, the former two-time All-Star big man played 15 season in the league. At one point in his career, he was earning $12 million per year, so surely, he must have saved up a considerable amount of cash in his bank account before calling it a career.
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