INTERNATIONAL COAL NEWS

Sago owner hit with another lawsuit

EIGHTEEN months after the January 2, 2006 accident that killed 12 at the Sago mine in West Virgin...

Donna Schmidt

The family of Thomas Anderson – his father, sister and four brothers – filed a lawsuit June 7 in Kanawha Circuit Court in the state’s capital city of Charleston, citing emotional distress, according to local news outlet the West Virginia Record.

They are seeking compensatory and punitive damages for an undisclosed amount in the suit, which also names Wolf Run Mining (aka Anker West Virginia Mining) as a defendant.

Specifically, the documentation from the family claims that they waited at the church near the Sago mine portal from January 2 to January 4, and both Hatfield and ICG told them “false and misleading information,” including Anderson’s condition and whether he was still living.

The group calls the operator’s acts “extreme, outrageous, beyond the bounds of decency, atrocious, and intolerable such that it was substantially certain that emotional distress would result,” the paper said.

The June 7 filing is the second by Anderson’s family since the accident. Last November documentation was filed on behalf of his estate and family against ICG, Wolf Run, Burrell Mining Products, Raleigh Mine and Industrial Supply, CSE and GMS Mine Repair and Maintenance.

ICG idled the Sago operation in March of this year, citing weak coal prices and high operational costs. Company spokesman Ira Gamm told the Associated Press at the time that the explosion was not a factor in the decision, but rather “part of our ongoing evaluation of our operations”

TOPICS:

Expert-led Insights reports built on robust data, rigorous analysis and expert commentary covering mining Exploration, Future Fleets, Automation and Digitalisation, and ESG.

Expert-led Insights reports built on robust data, rigorous analysis and expert commentary covering mining Exploration, Future Fleets, Automation and Digitalisation, and ESG.

editions

Future Fleets Insights 2026

Mining IQ Insights delivers annual standalone reports that expand upon the most relevant discussion points in the mining sector.

editions

ESG Index 2025: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Index provides an in-depth evaluation of the ESG performance of 60+ of the world’s largest mining companies. It assesses companies across 10 weighted indicators within 6 essential ESG pillars.

editions

Automation and Digitalisation Insights 2025

Discover how mining companies and investors are adopting, deploying and evaluating new technologies.

editions

Mining IQ Exploration Insights 2025

Gain exclusive insights into the world of exploration in a comprehensive review of the top trending technologies, intercepts, discoveries and more.