Bailey v. Sewell Coal Co.

NEELY, Justice.

This is an appeal by the plaintiffs below (hereinafter “the plaintiffs”), former salaried employees of Sewell Coal Company, from a judgment entered on 25 August 1992 by the Circuit Court of Marion County that affirmed a jury verdict in favor of the defendants below, Sewell Coal Company (hereinafter “Sewell”), in an action to recover unpaid severance pay.

Sewell, a subsidiary of the Pittson Coal Group located in Lebanon, Virginia, operates a coal raining facility in Nicholas County, West Virginia. In early 1982, a severe downturn in the coal market forced Sewell to shut down some…