Lawsuit: Gov. Justice's coal companies didn't fulfill coal contract

Two coal companies owned by Gov. Jim Justice’s family breached a contract with an exporting company, according to a complaint filed in federal district court last week.

Xcoal Energy & Resources, a Pennsylvania company, filed the lawsuit against Justice and two of his family companies, Southern Coal Corporation and Bluestone Energy Sales Corporation at the end of May. A redacted, “public version” was filed July 2 in U.S. District Court in Delaware, where both of Justice’s companies are incorporated. Both businesses are based in Roanoke, Virginia.

The lawsuit lists Jim Justice, Bluestone Energy Sales Corporation and Southern Coal Corporation as defendants.

Justice and his office have said the governor was handing over day-to-day control of his coal holdings and businesses to his son and daughter. According to Justice’s 2018 financial disclosure statement filed with the West Virginia Ethics Commission, neither Bluestone Energy Sales Corporation nor Southern Coal Corporation are in a blind trust. During his campaign in 2016, NPR reported that Justice owed about $2.6 million in delinquent federal mine safety penalties.

Read more: https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/politics/lawsuit-gov-justice-s-coal-companies-didn-t-fulfill-coal/article_cdc5f361-13fa-57da-980f-e58e9d65cffa.html