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The Price Of Justice: A True Story Of Greed And Corruption (2013)

by Laurence Leamer(Favorite Author)

4.26 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0805094717 (ISBN13: 9780805094718)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Times Books

review 1: Highly recommend this book. It's a true story that is pretty similar to the John Grisham book "The Appeal." Two lawyers from Pittsburgh sue a subsidiary of Massey Energy (and come to target Massey's truly horrible CEO Don Blankenship) for running a small coal mine operator out of business. They win a huge verdict after trial. But, the case winds its way through West Virginia's appeals system for years. Ultimately, Massey (through Blanekenship) spends millions getting new judges elected to the West Virginia Supreme Court to ensure victory on appeal. The US Supreme Court then accepts an appeal of that decision because of the obvious bias of the judges in West Virginia. Not to give too much away but there is still a lot to be settled in these cases (the lawyers take on a few ... moreother cases related to Massey - the coal company that gave us the Upper Big Branch disaster a few years ago). Overall, its a fascinating book and well-reported. Leamer's writing is simplistic at times and his descriptions of the characters is a little too black-and-white. But, still, the pacing is fantastic and the story is fascinating. I think I learned a lot about West Virginia from reading this book and that part is depressing.
review 2: This is an excellent book. It made my blood boil throughout and made my heart go out to the hard-working people of WEst Virginia who seem to be nothing but pawns in a world of corporate greed. It's not that common to see lawyers portrayed as good guys -- heck, they're almost as despised as journalists, and maybe rightly so -- but it's refreshing to see that even in this much-maligned profession, there are some good guys, and gals. This book is meticulously researched and well-crafted. A good balance between factual presentation and dramatic storytelling, and that's not an easy thing to pull off amid the considerable legalese and political shenanigans.If you want to see the rotten, decaying underbelly of the legal and justice system, you will find plenty of maggots under these rocks. It's always the happiest of endings, but it's inspiring that sometimes justice does prevail. Read this book, but prepare to feel angry. less

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