Tag: Del. Isaac Sponaugle

Judge Orders Gov. Justice to Respond to Discovery Request in Residency Case

A judge has ordered lawyers for the governor of West Virginia to respond to a request for documents in an ongoing lawsuit over his residency.

Judge Charles King rejected a dismissal motion Wednesday by Gov. Jim Justice’s attorneys. King also ordered Justice to respond to Democratic Del. Isaac Sponaugle’s discovery request within 30 days.

Sponaugle is suing to require Justice live in the state’s capital of Charleston per the state constitution that says the governor should “reside at the seat of the government.” Justice’s lawyers say the meaning of “reside” is unclear.

The requested documents include Justice’s tax returns, security detail logs and expenses and any official documents stored at or sent from Justice’s Lewisburg home.

Sponaugle has sued three times over Justice’s residency; technicalities killed the previous lawsuits.

Lawsuit Over West Virginia Governor's Residency Continues

A long-running lawsuit seeking to require West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to live in the state’s capital will continue.

A circuit judge in Charleston on Wednesday asked for more legal filings in the case brought by Democratic Del. Isaac Sponaugle.

Sponaugle says Justice should be ordered to live in Charleston because the state constitution requires the governor to “reside at the seat of government.” He argued that the citizens of West Virginia deserve a governor who is on the job.

The governor’s lawyers say the definition of reside is unclear and added that the suit would essentially force the court to chaperone Justice’s whereabouts.

This is the third time Sponaugle has sued over Justice’s residency, with the previous two suits thrown out on technicalities.

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