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Pittsburgh Attorney Reacts to Supreme Court Decision to Hear Appeal

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Supreme Court to hearWest Virginia case in which a State Supreme Court Justice refused to recuse himself and joined in a 3-2 decision to reverse a more than $70 million damage award against Massey Energy despite a $3 million contribution made by Massey's CEO to defeat his opponent in a Supreme Court election contest. The following is a statement by the attorney for Harman Coal Company, the appellate's attorney.

We are gratified that the United States Supreme Court has chosen to hear this case. The question at issue here is central to the future of our court system. We are eager to continue to fight for a fair system, where judges who have received the benefit of vast sums of money from a litigant or a witness in a case must step aside from hearing the case.

Our clients have fought a 10 year battle against a corporation that threatened them not to pursue their legal rights. Hugh Caperton and his companies have been extremely courageous throughout this ordeal. At one point, their legal rights were confirmed and vindicated by a jury and trial judge, only to suffer reversal on appeal where it appears that monetary contributions affected the ability of the state appeals court to be fair.

We are eager to argue our positions before the Supreme Court. We are confident the high court will not allow this case to stand, because people involved in lawsuits would have a license to contribute vast sums of money to elect judges with the expectation that those judges can then decide their case. As stated by retired United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a crusader against the improper influence of money on our courts, "An independent judiciary is an essential bedrock principal, and we're losing it ... We put cash in the courtrooms, and it's just wrong."


     CONTACT:  David Fawcett
               Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
               412-562-3931 (office)
               412-400-8164 (cell)

SOURCE Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

Tags: ,MIN,LAW,PA-Harman-Coal-appeal

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Pittsburgh Attorney Reacts to Supreme Court Decision to Hear Appeal