12 March 2008

Massey Case Returns to Supreme Court - Updated

Shy two of its justices, the West Virginia Supreme Court is slated to hear arguments Wednesday afternoon as it reconsiders the Boone County coal contract dispute pitting Massey Energy Co. against Harman Mining Co. and its president.

As The Associated Press reports, circuit judges will sit in for those justices in a case made infamous by European vacation photos showing Chief Justice Elliott "Spike" Maynard in Monaco with Massey's chief executive.

(Inspiring the latest best-selling legal thriller by John Grisham also contributes to its dubious distinction. The Appeal remains #1 on The New York Times' hardcover fiction list.)

Update: AP covered the rehearing, as did MetroNews (with audio).

Update II: The Charleston Gazette also covered the hearing...as did The Wall Street Journal. The latter included this:

Meanwhile, federal investigators have interviewed court employees to learn more about the Monaco vacation, according to two court employees and a lawyer briefed on the case. Representatives of the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District of West Virginia and the Federal Bureau of Investigation declined to comment on whether their offices have opened investigations.
Update III: Public Broadcasting also has a story, as well as audio of its report and of arguments from plaintiffs' and defense counsel. It even offers a transcript.

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