Sen. Joe Manchin was sued by his brother this month in connection with a decades-old $1.7 million loan aimed at keeping a family business out of bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal said.
The newspaper says John Manchin, a physician, filed a civil complaint at a West Virginia county circuit court against the Democrat and a second brother, Roch Manchin, claiming breach of contract, fraud and civil conspiracy.
“In spite of their numerous and repeated renewed promises to and agreements with Plaintiff over time to do so, Defendants Joseph Manchin III and Roch Manchin negligently, intentionally, and willfully failed and refused to repay Plaintiff,” the suit reads, the Journal said.
A spokesman for Mr. Manchin told the newspaper it was a personal matter and he had no more comment. The senator’s attorney declined comment, and Roch Manchin couldn’t be reached, according to the Journal.
The three brothers were partners in a business that dealt in real estate and farm land holdings in the 1980s, but the senator and Roch Manchin also owned a carpet business that faced financial distress and required the loan to keep it afloat by the 1990s, the Journal reported.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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