Massey Contempt Proceeding: Hearing set to determine if former Massey officers and directors violated court order

On Tuesday, June 14, 2011, Judge James C. Stucky of the Circuit Court of Kanawah County, West Virginia entered a rule to show cause, ordering that certain former officers and directors of Massey Energy appear at a October 24, 2011, hearing to show why they should not be held in civil contempt for violating a June 2008 order. That 2008 order resolved a previous case and mandated corporate governance reforms involving the monitoring, management and reporting of mine safety compliance at the company.

Recent court filings allege that violations of the June 2008 order caused the April 5, 2010, explosion at Massey's Upper Big Branch mine that killed 29 miners.

Read coverage in the The West Virginia Gazette, NPR, Charleston Daily Mail and the Coal Tattoo blog.

To learn more about this case or the associated shareholder derivative and merger and acquisition litigation, contact our securities team by email.