West Virginia House OKs $8.5M in Judgments Against State

Fatal traffic accidents, jail fees and lawsuits have led to $8.5 million in judgments against West Virginia agencies this year.

The House of Delegates unanimously agreed Tuesday to pay those judgments ordered by the state’s Court of Claims. The Senate must now consider the claim payment legislation.

The largest item, $5.4 million, would repay regional jails for housing Division of Corrections inmates.

The amounts also include $388,000 owed to Greenbrooke Associates. The developer leased and later sold the state a Charleston building for agency office space. At least some of the judgment reflects property taxes that Greenbrooke failed to pay Kanawha County.

Another 340 judgments totaling $2 million arise from accidents on state roadways, several of them fatal. Six of these claims against the Division of Highways exceed $100,000.