West Virginia

Grit Post, June 4, '18, *West Virginia Miners File Class-Action Suit Against Governor’s Family for Bounced Paychecks*

The family of West Virginia Governor Jim Justice (R), a coal scion with a net worth of $1.8 billion, bounced paychecks for miners at his company, according to a new lawsuit...“Plaintiffs and their co-workers have suffered and continue to suffer harm as a result of Bluestone’s failure to pay its employees wages earned and owing,” the lawsuit argues, adding that the defendants’ actions were “intentional, willful, wanton, and malicious.”

Bluestone lawyer John Hussell disputed that allegation, saying that the company was not aware that paychecks sent to miners were bouncing. “When we became aware of the issue, we immediately took action to ensure that all of the employees received their full pay,” Hussell told WV Metro News. Legacy Land Management, another company owned by Gov. Justice’s family, is in a joint venture with Bluestone. A separate lawsuit was filed against Legacy for bad checks in January of this year, and was amended in April.

>According to WV Metro News, Legacy’s bad checks came right around Christmas last year, when financial struggles are particularly pronounced for many working-class families. The lawsuit alleges that on three consecutive occasions in December of 2017, miners were given bad checks, and were then forced to pay banking fees when the checks didn’t clear, in addition to having to pay a wire transfer fee when their pay was wired to them.

“If you or someone you know is dealing with Legacy Land Management or any other Jim Justice owned mine affiliate know this: when an employer issues bad payroll checks the law is on the employees’ side 100%,” wrote lawyer Anthony Salvatore — one of the attorneys who filed the class-action suit on behalf of miners — on his website.
>Class-action lawsuits filed against companies like Bluestone and Legacy will soon be nonexistent, thanks to a recent Supreme Court decision allowing employers to force employees into one-on-one arbitration sessions, as opposed to class-action litigation...

Scott Alden is a freelance contributor covering national politics, education, and environmental issues. He is a proud Toledo University graduate, and lives in the suburbs of Detroit. https://gritpost.com/wv-miners-lawsuit-justice/