Consol Energy, Retirees Keep Split Decision on Lifetime Benefits

Consol Energy Inc. owes lifetime medical, prescription drug, and other benefits to two of the seven retirees who filed suit against the coal mining company, the Fourth Circuit ruled Tuesday.

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed multiple rulings in a decade-long legal battle over Consol’s decision to eliminate lifetime welfare benefits for retirees in 2015. The case was properly denied class action status, the appeals court said, and the district judge correctly ruled that only some of the plaintiff retirees detrimentally relied on misstatements about their benefits.

• The lawsuit accused Consol of violating federal ...