Governor Jim Justice’s family business empire is in trouble—again. This time, the federal government is fed up with 23 of the family’s coal companies for not paying fines that have been piling up for over a decade. Yep, you heard that right. They still owe almost $600,000 in unpaid coal mining health and safety fines, which they promised to pay off by March 2024. But surprise, surprise—they haven’t.
The feds aren’t too happy about it and have asked a court to hold these companies in contempt. According to the government, the Justice companies have been consistently late with payments—when they bother to pay at all. Seems like their idea of “on time” is a bit different from everyone else’s.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Justice family is also facing a foreclosure auction on their prized Greenbrier Hotel later this month. But don’t worry—Governor Justice says it’s all a big misunderstanding.
While Justice’s businesses keep racking up fines, lawsuits, and foreclosure notices, his political career seems to be cruising along just fine. Even though he lost his billionaire status in 2021 (oops!), he’s still proudly running for the Senate, calling himself a “can-do businessman.” Well, maybe “can-do” should come with a little asterisk next to it.
So, what’s next for the Justice empire? Who knows? But one thing’s for sure—paying fines and keeping promises doesn’t seem to be high on the to-do list.
