Judge orders W.Va. gov’s coal companies to pay fines, fees

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – A federal judge in Kentucky has ordered companies owned by West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to pay more than $1 million in fees and expenses in a lawsuit that accused them of defaulting on a mining contract.

The judge on Friday denied a motion by the James C. Justice Companies and subsidiary Kentucky Fuel to reconsider the case and to conduct oral arguments.

The companies were ordered in September to pay $35 million to the New London Tobacco Market and Five Mile Energy.

In addition to the fees and expenses, the Lexington, Kentucky, law firm representing Justice’s companies were ordered to pay $10,000 to the plaintiffs within 30 days.