Blankenship criminal charges News

Blankenship Case in Limbo in West Virginia as Jurors Struggle to Reach Verdict

After a third full day of deliberations, a jury recessed Friday without reaching a verdict in the criminal trial of ex-Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship. Jurors had been trying since Tuesday, Nov. 17, to reach a decision. Blankenship is charged …

Defense Rests in West Virginia Mine Blast Trial, Blankenship Stays Mum

Former Massey Energy Chief Donald Blankenship won’t take the witness stand to explain what happened when a company mine exploded in 2010 killing 29 workers, choosing instead to leave his fate in the hands of jurors at his criminal trial …

Final Witness Called by Prosecution in Blankenship Trial

The prosecution has called its final witness in the trial of former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship. FBI Special Agent James Lafferty was questioned by prosecutors and defense attorneys Tuesday in Charleston, W. Va., federal court. Lafferty is the federal …

Former West Virginia Mine Worker Talks Safety Shortcuts in Blankenship Trial

A key government witness testified in West Virginia that prosecutors had threatened to charge him alongside his old coal boss, and he was under an immunity agreement Friday when he took the stand. In the criminal trial of ex-Massey Energy …

Trial Update: Ex-Massey CEO Blankenship Downplayed Black-Lung Threat to Miners

Ex-Massey Energy Chief Executive Officer Donald Blankenship downplayed the threat that miners develop black-lung disease in shafts choked with coal dust, jurors in the executive’s criminal trial heard in a recorded phone call. Blankenship, a vocal opponent of government regulations, …

Secret CEO Recordings Allowed in Massey Mine Blast Trial

Donald Blankenship’s own words may come to haunt the former Massey Energy Co. chief executive officer at his criminal trial as a federal judge said prosecutors can let the jury hear conversations secretly recorded while he led the company. U.S. …

Deadly West Virginia Mine Explosion Trial Puts Spotlight on Massey’s King Coal

Before death came to Upper Big Branch Mine, Donald L. Blankenship managed his patch of Appalachia like King Coal incarnate. Outside homes in rural West Virginia flew the banner of his company, Massey Energy Co.: a flame leaping out of …

West Virginia Prosecutors Say Explosion Evidence Crucial to Blankenship Case

Prosecutors say in court documents that evidence about the Upper Big Branch Mine disaster is a necessary part of the government’s criminal case against former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship. The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports prosecutors made the filing in a …

Lawyers on Both Sides of Blankenship Criminal Case Request Trial Delay

Prosecutors and defense attorneys are asking for an October trial in the criminal case against former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship. Blankenship is charged with conspiring to violate safety standards at the Upper Big Branch Mine in West Virginia where …

Judge Says Alpha Must Cover Legal Costs for Ex-CEO Blankenship

Alpha Natural Resources must pay the legal expenses of Donald Blankenship, the former chief executive officer of Massey Energy, which Alpha acquired in 2011. The fight over fees arose from charges filed against Blankenship stemming from the worst U.S. coal …