The Price of Justice: A True Story of Greed and Corruption

The Price of Justice is a nonfiction legal thriller documenting a fourteen-year legal battle waged by two lawyers, Dave Fawcett and Bruce Stanley, against Don Blankenship, head of Massey Energy since the early 1990s. Blankenship controlled a coal industry providing nearly half of America's electric power, yet used his wealth and influence to destroy rivals, challenge the Constitution, purchase West Virginia judiciary members, and ignore mine safety standards that resulted in numerous deaths. Blankenship engaged in elaborate vendettas against those who challenged his authority while his company polluted drinking water for hundreds of citizens. He cultivated relationships with West Virginia Supreme Court justices, including meetings in France. Fawcett and Stanley pursued their case from West Virginia courtrooms to the U.S. Supreme Court, ultimately securing a decision affirming that the wealthy and powerful cannot purchase their own brand of law. Author Laurence Leamer presents this account of far-reaching corporate corruption and its consequences as a true story with implications comparable to historical investigations of corporate malfeasance.