Fourth Circuit shifts black lung claim to trust fund, lets coal operators walk

Rule spent 38 years working in West Virginia coal mines before retiring in 2015. His final stint was a ten-month stretch with Wildcat Energy, LLC, which owned the Eagle #3 mine in Bolt, West Virginia. Before that, Rule had worked at the Eagle #1 and #3 mines for Rhino Energy, a subcontractor for Wildcat, from mid-2012 through the end of 2014. When Rhino’s subcontract ended, Rule moved onto Wildcat’s payroll and continued working at the Eagle #3 mine.