Reply #9: John Grisham's novel The Appeal [View All]

[Staph]

is based loosely on Don Blankenship's purchase of his own personal West Virginia Supreme Court justice, so that he would not lose a fraud lawsuit brought by another mine owner.

Blankenship contributed $3 million towards the election of Brent Benjamin, who later voted on Blankenship's side in a $50 million lawsuit. Benjamin's refusal to recuse himself was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, who said that the conflict of interest was so extreme that it was a threat to the plaintiff's right to due process.