WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. (WVDN) — The historic Greenbrier resort, long a symbol of luxury and a major economic engine in southern West Virginia, is now at the center of a complex financial and legal showdown involving its owner, Gov. Jim Justice’s family, a regional bank and the parent company of Omni Hotels and Resorts.
The Greenbrier, owned by Justice and his family since they bought it out of bankruptcy in 2009 for about $20 million, has struggled with mounting debt for years, according to public records and reports. The resort faces millions of dollars in outstanding loans, legal disputes, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax liens documented in public filings. Some of the loans have gone delinquent and accrued significant interest.
More than $200 million in past-due loans tied to the resort have now been sold to a new lender linked to TRT Holdings, the parent company of Omni Hotels and Resorts. The transaction involves what is known as “first lien debt,” meaning TRT’s entity is first in line to be repaid if the borrower defaults. While that does not give TRT outright ownership of the Greenbrier, it gives the company substantial leverage over the resort’s future.
TRT’s involvement is especially notable given that Omni already owns the Omni Homestead Resort, a major competitor located less than an hour away in Hot Springs, Va. In a statement, Omni said a subsidiary of TRT Holdings acquired the Greenbrier’s first lien debt “as an investment” and characterized the transaction as part of TRT’s broader strategy of investing across a diverse portfolio of assets.
The Justice family, however, has responded with an aggressive legal challenge. Late Sunday night, they filed a lawsuit in Greenbrier County Circuit Court against Carter Bank & Trust, TRT Holdings and its owners, Robert and his son, Blake Rowley. The suit alleges the defendants are attempting to “snatch” the historic resort through unlawful and deceptive tactics, according to the complaint.
According to the lawsuit, the Justice family alleges that TRT executives visited the Greenbrier in 2024 under the guise of acting as advisors but instead used the opportunity to obtain proprietary financial and marketing data. The lawsuit further alleges that Justice reached a 50-50 partnership agreement with TRT on April 6, 2026, that would have preserved the hotel, only for TRT to back out the next day and block a payoff of the debt.
According to figures cited in the lawsuit filing, Carter Bank sold the Justice family’s loans, which carried a principal balance of approximately $209 million, to TRT Holdings for roughly $289.48 million in cash. The filing also confirms the ownership structure of the resort entity: Justice holds 49%, while his children, Jay and Jill, own 30% and 21%, respectively.
In addition to disputing the loan sale, the Justice family is asking a judge to void the transaction, halt any foreclosure efforts and prevent TRT from using the debt position to force a takeover. The case has been assigned to Judge Robert E. Richardson, and the family has demanded a jury trial.
Separately, TRT has moved for receivership — a legal mechanism that attorneys say could effectively remove operational control from the Justice family to protect the resort’s value during the dispute. The receivership motion also includes allegations of unpaid employee benefits, health insurance premiums and 401(k) matches, according to court documents. Such issues, if substantiated, can trigger federal labor protections and deepen the legal and financial stakes for all parties.
The Greenbrier employs thousands of workers and helps drive tourism for surrounding communities, including neighboring counties across the region. While the resort would likely remain open even in the event of foreclosure or a forced sale, any change in ownership could ripple through local jobs, small businesses, and the broader regional economy.
The Justice family has publicly criticized TRT’s actions as predatory, signaling a protracted legal fight over who will control “America’s resort” in the months ahead.
