Associated Press Published

Blankenship Attorneys File Motion To Delay Trial

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Attorneys for former Massey Energy Chief Executive Officer Donald Blankenship are asking a judge to delay his criminal trial.

Blankenship is charged with violating mine safety standards at the Upper Big Branch mine in West Virginia, where a 2010 explosion killed 29 men. The trial is scheduled for Oct. 1 federal court in Charleston.

 

Media outlets report that defense attorneys filed a motion late Friday seeking postponement of the trial until at least January. 

 

The attorneys say they received from prosecutors on Wednesday a computer disc containing 72,700 pages of records from the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration. They say it’s impossible for them to review the records before Oct. 1.

 

U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said Friday night that his office will file a response soon.