WVPB Staff Published

New Analysis Claims Justices Owe More Than Own 

A seated man in a blue business suit with a yellow tie raises his hands from behind a podium at the West Virginia legislature.
Gov. Jim Justice delivers a farewell speech to the West Virginia Legislature Jan. 8, 2025.
Perry Bennett/WV Legislative Photography

The finances of Gov. Jim Justice’s family businesses are once again drawing national attention.

Friday morning, financial news magazine Forbes published a new analysis of the Justices’ finances, concluding that Justice-held debts far outweigh assets, which include the Greenbrier and metallurgical coal mines across several states.

As the governor prepares to take his oath of office for the U.S. Senate Monday, the article drew attention to Justice’s foreign-held debts. They include a $20 million defaulted loan now owned by the sovereign wealth fund of the United Arab Emirates. In another case, a helicopter was seized and sold to satisfy debts to a Russian investment firm.

The Justice family narrowly retained possession of The Greenbrier Resort last year after creditors sought its auction to satisfy unpaid loans.

Justice did not comment on the allegations during his final press briefing as governor Friday afternoon.