Sen. Jim Justice and his wife have agreed to pay $5.2 million in overdue taxes following a Justice Department lawsuit on Monday.
Justice (R-W.Va.) and his wife, Cathy, owed the $5.2 million going back to at least 2009, according to the IRS. The Justice Department sued Monday to collect the money, and the Justice family agreed hours later to pay up.
The recent lawsuit is just the latest in a long line of money troubles for the former West Virginia governor, who was elected to the U.S. Senate last fall. Once known as West Virginia’s only billionaire, Forbes reported in January 2025 that Justice was now broke, owing more money than he had.
The IRS previously hit Justice with $8 million in liens, and state agencies in West Virginia have similarly sought to collect $1.4 million. Additionally, one of Justice’s several coal and agriculture businesses has been hit with $3 million in liens over the past three years.
Justice did not immediately comment on this week’s settlement. He previously dismissed IRS investigations as politically motivated — even though the taxes in question extend through Barack Obama, Joe Biden and both Donald Trump administrations.
“At the end of the day, I’d say just let it be and see how it all plays out,” he said in October 2024.
Justice has also dealt with several claims against the Greenbrier Hotel, the historic venue he purchased in 2009. The IRS filed a $1 million lien against the hotel in 2021, and workers say Justice is more than $2 million behind on payments to the employee health care plan.
With News Wire Services
