The Legal News

A Brooke County Circuit Court jury has  decided that Massey Energy will pay more 219 million in punitive damages to Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation. The suit was in regards to a failure to deliver on  a contract.  The contract states that Massey Energy was to deliver 104,000 tons of coal per month to Wheeling-Pitt monthly.

The suit alleged that CWVE blamed production problems for its inability to deliver per contract. The plaintiff claims however, that the Massey company  rerouting coal from its contract to another marketplace in an effort to make more money.
The jury demanded Massey and CWVE to give Wheeling -Pitt 119 million in  compensation and 50 million each in damges punitive from both defendants.

Wheeling attorneys maintain  that when the price of coal went up worlwide that the defendants would short them coal and ship it worldwide.

Massey counsel is determined to appeal the ruling.
The jury ordered Massey and Central West Virginia Energy to pay Wheeling-Pitt $119.8 million in compensatory damages, as well as $50 million each in punitive damages from both parties. Wheeling-Pitt’s attorney stated that, “When the price of coal went up, Massey started cheating Wheeling-Pitt by shorting it and sending its coal abroad and making millions of dollars.” Massey’s executive vice president, Baxter Phillips, claimed that the company “will most certainly appeal.”