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Jim Justice Owned Company Fined For Contempt of Court

A coal company owned by billionaire businessman Jim Justice faces $1.23 million in fines for contempt of court after a judge said the company didn’t pay debts and repeatedly didn’t show up for court hearings.

U.S. District Judge Irene Berger in Beckley ordered the fines Friday against Justice Energy Co.

On Jan. 5, Berger ordered the company in contempt for not paying a nearly $150,000 debt owed to a construction equipment company.

Berger fined the company $30,000 per day, beginning Jan. 5. The more-than-2-year-old debt was paid back Feb. 15.

Company spokesman Tom Lusk says it’s a step to clean the mess left by the Russian operation that owned the company and ran up the debt.

Justice, who also owns The Greenbrier resort, is running for governor as a Democrat.

Jim Justice Owned Company in Contempt of Court Over Debt

A company owned by billionaire coal businessman and gubernatorial candidate Jim Justice is in contempt of federal court after a judge says the company hasn’t paid debts and has repeatedly failed to show up for court hearings.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that U.S. District Judge Irene Berger ordered Justice Energy Company in contempt on Jan. 5 for not paying a nearly $150,000 debt owed to a construction equipment company.

Berger fined the coal mining and leasing company $30,000 per day, beginning Jan. 5, until the company is in full compliance. The debt is more than two years old.

Company spokesman Tom Lusk says in a statement that the company is using a payment plan to paying off the debt.

Justice, who also owns The Greenbrier resort, is running for governor as a Democrat.

Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates Receive Union Support

The United Mine Workers of America threw its support behind businessman Jim Justice in the West Virginia Governor’s race.

Fellow Democratic candidate Jeff Kessler also picked up a union endorsement Thursday — The Bricklayers District Council of West Virginia.

UMWA President Cecil Roberts said in a news release that the union’s vote to support Justice was unanimous.

The UMWA represents more than 35,000 active and retired coal miners in West Virginia.

Justice comes from a coal family, his father was a miner, as was his grandfather. Much of Jim Justice’s wealth has come from the coal industry.

The Bricklayers District Council of West Virginia represents bricklayers, masons and tile setters, among other tradesmen.

“Jeff Kessler has always stood alongside the hardworking men and women of West Virginia,” Director Leroy Hunter said in a news release released by the Kessler campaign. “Jeff Kessler is the real Democrat in the Democratic primary and we are proud not only to endorse, but also support him.”

Kessler is the current West Virginia Senate minority leader.

Legends Help Break Ground on New Golf Course

Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino helped break ground on a mountaintop golf course near The Greenbrier resort in West…

Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino helped break ground on a mountaintop golf course near The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia.

With shovels in hand, the golfing greats who are collaborating on the design of the 18-hole course joined Greenbrier owner Jim Justice at a ceremony Friday in White Sulphur Springs.

The 8,042-yard course will overlook Oakhurst Links, which was built in 1884 and is the first organized golf club in America. The new development also is expected to include ski slopes and housing.

The resort hosts the PGA Tour’s Greenbrier Classic on the Old White TPC course. Trevino is the Greenbrier’s golf pro emeritus.

Justice is running for West Virginia governor as a Democrat. The primary election is next May.

McDowell County Sheriff: Justice Paid Back Taxes

A McDowell County official says a coal company owned by Jim Justice has paid off a $1.1 million tax debt owed by a former owner.

Sheriff Martin B. West says the county received the final $166,000 payment on Wednesday.

The debt was owed by Bluestone Coal, which Justice acquired from Mechel Bluestone Inc. in February.

West had sued Mechel Bluestone Inc. in 2014 to collect delinquent taxes.

West says in news release that he and chief tax deputy Shelia Woolridge reached an agreement with officials from Jim Justice Corporation to pay the tax debt. The initial payment of $780,232 was made on April 30.

The sheriff says the tax revenue will help the budgets of the County Commission and the Board of Education.

Greenbrier Classic Group: Holes-in-One Should Be Covered

The nonprofit behind the PGA Tour’s Greenbrier Classic says it wasn’t informed until after the tournament its insurance wouldn’t cover cash prizes for holes-in-one on holes deemed too short.

In a third-party complaint in Charleston federal court, Old White Charities says the PGA controls the distance and location of golf pins. It says the insurance application notes that.

George McNeill and Justin Thomas aced the par-3 18th from 137 yards, prompting a $192,000 payout to fans. Underwriters sued the nonprofit, saying they agreed to a 170-yard minimum distance.

Fans in the 18th-hole grandstands receive $100 payouts for the first hole-in-one during the tournament, $500 for a second and $1,000 for a third.

The tournament gave $25,000 to the first golfer’s charity of choice and $50,000 to the second golfer’s charity.