A company owned by a coal tycoon is sued for illegally destroying a rival business — and gets whacked by a jury. The verdict comes in at $50 million, plus punitive damages. When the case heads for appeal, the tycoon funnels more than $3 million into a political race for the state supreme court. The contributions are designed to unseat an incumbent justice — and are perfectly legal.

The challenger wins with 53.3 percent of the vote. The tycoon's company comes before the stat ...

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