This Billionaire Governor's Been Sued Over Unpaid Bills. A Judge Just Ordered Him to Pay More.

The billionaire governor of West Virginia, whose business empire has amassed more than $128 million in judgments and settlements against it for unpaid bills, lost another court case this week that adds millions more to that tally.

On Wednesday, Gov. Jim Justice’s Bluestone Resources Inc. was ordered to pay nearly $2.8 million to a financing company after it stopped making payments on a lease for a bulldozer used in coal mining. In court, Bluestone argued it didn’t owe the full original amount. A judge ruled otherwise, ordering Bluestone to pay $2.7 million in damages and $76,000 in legal fees and costs.

The ruling, filed in a Dallas County, Texas, court, comes as Justice campaigns for a second term as governor of the Mountain State, touting his experience as a longtime businessman. But in advance of the state’s June 9 primary, opponents in both political parties are branding the Republican incumbent as a billionaire scofflaw.

This week, ProPublica published the most complete analysis of Justice’s legal record to date, finding hundreds of lawsuits filed against Justice’s sprawling business operations, including dozens brought by workers, vendors, business partners and government agencies, all alleging they weren’t paid.

Read more: https://www.propublica.org/article/this-billionaire-governors-been-sued-over-unpaid-bills-a-judge-just-ordered-him-to-pay-more