Attorneys for West Virginia governor's family want to block planned land auction to repay loans
Attorneys for the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice want to block a Virginia bank from plans to auction off land at the governor’s posh resort
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Attorneys for the family of West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice are seeking to block a Virginia bank from plans to auction off land at the governor's posh resort to recover more than $300 million on defaulted business loans.
A complaint seeking an injunction was filed Wednesday on behalf of the Greenbrier Sporting Club in White Sulphur Springs. The filing in Greenbrier County Circuit Court said the auction would jeopardize thousands of jobs and “severely damage” both the club and the Greenbrier Resort, which has hosted U.S. presidents and royalty and is the county's largest employer.
The complaint asks the court to halt the planned auction until it addresses claims by the Justice family against Carter Bank & Trust of Martinsville, Virginia. It seeks a jury trial. A federal lawsuit filed by the Justice companies against the bank in November is pending.
On at least four occasions between 2021 and 2023, the Justice companies tried to steer their banking business from Carter Bank to other lenders, who were prepared to pay off all or part of their Carter Bank loans. But Carter Bank “blocked or sabotaged” the transfer efforts, the complaint in state court said.
Carter Bank has said it would “aggressively” pursue $302 million it was owed in principal debt, plus interest and fees, from companies owned by the governor’s family.
“Banks have an obligation to their shareholders and the financial system to collect in full all amounts that are due and owing to them,” the bank said in a filing last month with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. “Carter Bank is no
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