CHARLESTON, W.Va. AP – West Virginia’s SupremeCourt should reverse a 2002 judgment against Massey Energy Co. that nears $76 million because a Virginia lawsuit previously addressed the underlying coal contract dispute, a lawyer for the company argued Wednesday.

Huntington lawyer D.C. Offutt said the Virginia case, which ended in 2001 with a $6 million judgment in favor of Harman Mining Co., should have precluded its Boone County lawsuit.