July 24, 2019 - 2:08 PM
RICHMOND, Va. - A federal appeals court has thrown out a lawsuit filed by the families of 78 men who were killed in a 1968 mine explosion in West Virginia.
The ruling Wednesday by the 4th U.S. Circuit Appeals affirms a 2017 ruling by a federal judge.
The men died after an explosion ripped through the Farmington No. 9 mine.
In a 2014 lawsuit, the families accused Consolidation Coal of fraudulently concealing key information that would have allowed them to file a wrongful-death lawsuit years earlier.
The 4th Circuit cited a West Virginia Supreme Court finding that the wrongful-death claim was barred by a two-year statute of limitations.
Attorney Timothy Bailey said the families are disappointed. He said "it's a sad day" for the families and for "truth and justice."
News from © The Associated Press, 2019