November 25, 2025 / 7:42 PM EST / AP
Republican Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia has agreed to pay nearly $5.2 million in overdue personal income taxes, the latest development in a long-running series of financial troubles for the former billionaire.
An attorney for Justice and his wife, Cathy, filed a joint motion for a consent judgment with the federal government the same day the government sued, saying the couple “have neglected or refused to make full payment” on income taxes dating back to 2009. An attorney in the Justice Department’s tax division signed the agreement.
Forbes once estimated Justice’s fortune at $1.9 billion. The magazine removed his billionaire status in 2021 after estimating his net worth at about $513 million, and earlier this year said his liabilities likely exceed his assets, placing his net worth “less than zero.”
A spokesperson for Justice’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an October briefing with local media, Justice described his businesses as “complicated and complex,” praised his children for managing the companies and repeated assertions that collection efforts are politically motivated, saying, “At the end of the day, I’d say just let it be and see how it all plays out.”
Justice, a former two-term governor who owns numerous businesses including coal and agricultural operations, was elected to the U.S. Senate last November, filling the seat vacated by retiring Democrat Joe Manchin.
Other financial issues remain unresolved. The Internal Revenue Service last month filed liens totaling more than $8 million against Justice and his wife for unpaid personal taxes. In September, state tax officials placed $1.4 million in liens against the Justice family’s Greenbrier resort and the Greenbrier Sporting Club for unpaid sales taxes.
A planned foreclosure auction on several hundred lots owned by the Justice family at a resort community near Beckley was paused last month amid a dispute between the Glade Springs Village Property Owners Association and Justice Holdings over unpaid fees. The West Virginia Supreme Court plans to review that case.
In 2021 the IRS filed liens of over $1.1 million on the Greenbrier Hotel and roughly $80,000 on the resort’s medical clinic; those debts were paid later that year. Last year, Justice’s family settled other debts to prevent the Greenbrier’s foreclosure after JPMorgan Chase sold a longstanding loan to a debt buyer, which declared it in default.
West Virginia Democrats have blamed the hotel troubles on Justice’s financial mismanagement. A union official previously said the Justice family was at least $2.4 million behind on payments to an employees’ health insurance fund, jeopardizing workers’ coverage. In 2023, dozens of Justice-owned properties in three counties were auctioned to pay delinquent real estate taxes, and others have sought millions in fines related to environmental violations and unsafe mine working conditions.
Justice purchased The Greenbrier resort out of bankruptcy in 2009 for $20.1 million. The Greenbrier Sporting Club, a private residential and equity club on the property, opened in 2000. The historic White Sulphur Springs resort, dating to 1778, includes a casino, spa and other amenities, employs about 2,000 people, hosted a PGA Tour event from 2010 to 2019, and has accommodated NFL teams for training. The property also features a former secret 112,000-square-foot underground bunker built during the Cold War that now operates as a tour attraction.