Montana Supreme Court Decisions 2020
Date: December 29, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0710
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the jury verdict of the district court following Defendant's conviction of incest against his ten-year-old stepdaughter, holding that the district court erred when it granted the State's motion…
Date: December 29, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0120
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the sentence and financial assessments imposed by the district court in connection with Defendant's conviction for driving under the influence (DUI), fourth or…
Date: December 22, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0265
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court granting motions to dismiss filed by Farmers Insurance Exchange and State Farm Fire and Casualty Company, holding that the district court did not err in…
Date: December 22, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0727
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the holding of the district court that Farmers Insurance Exchange had no duty to defend the Insureds in this case but reversed the district court's holding that the duty to indemnify was not…
Date: December 22, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0097
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of the district court that the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole did not violate Appellant's statutory or constitutional rights in denying Appellant's parole request, holding that…
Date: December 16, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0523
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of the Workers' Compensation Court that Mont. Code Ann. 39-71-703(2) did not violate Appellant's right to equal protection by denying an impairment award to a worker with a Class 1…
Date: December 15, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0190
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Defendant's motion to dismiss the charge of vehicular homicide while under the influence, holding that Mont. Code Ann. 61-8-411 does not violate either…
Date: December 15, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0352
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion in failing to find Defendant's concerns of ineffective…
Date: December 15, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0014
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the district court's dismissal of Mark Plakorus's claims against the University of Montana, holding that Plakorus's amended complaint was sufficient to state tort…
Date: December 15, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0208
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court providing for the dissolution of the Johns Brothers Farms partnership, accounting of the partners' capital accounts, and settlement and distribution of…
Date: December 8, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0113
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of solicitation of witness tampering and sentencing him to prison for ten years with four years suspended, holding that the district…
Date: December 8, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0492
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the district court's ruling granting summary judgment to Park County Environmental Council and Greater Yellowstone Coalition and an order of vacatur of the…
Date: December 8, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0214
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of the district court determining that Brown Drake, LLC's operation of the Brown Drake Lodge did not violate the Craig Tracts Homeowners' Association's (HOA) amended covenant's…
Date: November 24, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0546
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court determining that Montana law applied to the wrongful death action brought by Nicole Buckles on behalf of the estate her deceased son, Zachary Scott Buckles,…
Date: November 17, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0553
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the district court's vacatur of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality's (DEQ) 2017 issuance of Montana Pollution Discharge Elimination System (MPDES) permit to Montanore Minerals…
Date: November 10, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0209
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for aggravated promotion of prostitution of B.M. and promoting prostitution of Z.T., holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion. On appeal, Defendant…
Date: November 10, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0673
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for felony theft, felony altering an identification number, and misdemeanor violation of license plate requirement, holding that the district court did not…
Date: November 10, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0490
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Griz One Firefighting, LLC's petition for judicial review of a default order and determination by the Department of Labor and Industry Wage and Hour…
Date: November 10, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0622
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court interpreting and modifying a prior 2014 judgment that previously adjudicated that Plaintiffs had established various prescriptive easement rights over certain…
Date: November 10, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0087
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving a grant of easement and easement agreement between Roger Peters and Carrie Peters and Douglas Hubbards and Nathan Hubbards the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court granting…
Date: November 4, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0499
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court revoking Defendant's deferred sentence for criminal endangerment, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion by revoking Defendant's deferred…
Date: November 4, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0305
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the revocation of his suspended sentence by the district court, holding that the district court's sentence revocation was supported by sufficient evidence that Defendant had violated the…
Date: November 4, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0195
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing K&J Investments, LLC's petition and complaint for judicial review, rescission, and unjust enrichment against the Flathead County Board of…
Date: October 27, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0178
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court dismissed the charges against Defendant, holding that Defendant was denied his constitutional right to a speedy trial and was presumptively prejudiced by the delay. The State filed an information…
Date: October 27, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0518
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the district court's imposition of certain conditions on Defendant's sentence and reversed the court's determination that Defendant must pay the costs of his public defender, holding that the…
Date: October 27, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0629
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court granting Defendants' motion for summary judgment and dismissing Plaintiff's claim alleging breach of contract and breach of implied covenant of good faith and…
Date: October 20, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0246
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Defendant's motion to exclude evidence obtained during a traffic stop and to dismiss the charges against him, holding that an officer has a lawful right…
Date: October 20, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0018
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court revoking Defendant's deferred sentence for criminal possession of dangerous drugs, holding that the district court did not violate Defendant's Sixth Amendment…
Date: October 20, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0143
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's felony conviction of criminal possession with intent to distribute, holding that the district court did not err in determining that the State was not required to disclose the…
Date: October 20, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0075
Justia Opinion Summary: In this termination of parental rights matter, the Supreme Judicial Court reversed the district court's order, holding that the court abused its discretion by terminating Mother's parental rights without a conclusive…
Date: October 13, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0338
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court ordering Defendant to pay $31,903 in restitution for losses resulting from offenses committed by another, holding that the district court erred in ordering…
Date: October 13, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0682
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court granting class certification in this action alleging breach of contract and violation of Montana's Unfair Trade Practices Act…
Date: October 13, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0684
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Defendant's motion to suppress testimony regarding statements he made during a phone conversation with the victim, holding that the testimony was not…
Date: October 6, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0218
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction of sexual intercourse without consent (SIWC), a felony, holding that the district court abused its discretion in allowing the State to cross-examine Defendant regarding a…
Date: October 6, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0223
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court concluding that the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) arbitrarily and unlawfully reduced solar qualifying facility (QF) standard-offer rates by…
Date: October 6, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0023
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court holding Trinity Lutheran Church liable under a theory of unjust enrichment, holding that the district court erred as a matter of law in determining that…
Date: September 29, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0295
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and vacated in part the district court order temporarily enjoining two Montana election laws, holding that the court erred by enjoining a ballot deadline. At issue was the district…
Date: September 23, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0396
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court upheld the order of the district court prohibiting the office of the Secretary of State from qualifying the Montana Green Party as a minor party eligible for the 2020 election ballot, holding that the…
Date: September 22, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0363
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court overruled the decision of the Public Service Commission (PSC) rejecting a proposed development of an eighty-megawatt solar energy facility near Billings, Montana, holding that the PSC violated the…
Date: September 22, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0525
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court that Dan Cook's last will and testament be confirmed and admitted to probate and that Kim Smith be appointed personal representative of the estate, holding that,…
Date: September 22, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0723
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Appellant's petition compelling Appellee, the Missoula County Clerk and Recorder, to record Appellant's certificate of survey (COS), holding that…
Date: September 16, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0268
Justia Opinion Summary: In a split decision, the Supreme Court reversed Defendant's negligent homicide convictions but upheld his convictions on nine counts of criminal endangerment and eleven counts of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs,…
Date: September 15, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0734
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that Mont. Code Ann. 46-5-105 prohibits detention center employees who are booking a person into the general population of a detention facility from conducting a visual body cavity search without…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0127
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court in favor of AWIN Real Estate, LLC (AWIN) on its claim that Whitehead Homes, Inc. (WHI) breached an investment agreement between…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0669
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Father's parental rights to his two children, holding that the district court err and that Father did not receive ineffective assistance of…
Date: September 8, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0080
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court to terminate a 2013 stipulated parental agreement that had afforded Grandparents contact and visitation rights with respect to their grandchild (Child),…
Date: September 1, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0201
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the district court denying Defendant's motion to suppress evidence found during a probation search of the room Defendant rented from a person on probation, holding that…
Date: August 25, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0356
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of assault with a weapon, a felony, holding that the district court conducted an adequate inquiry into Defendant's request to substitute counsel. On appeal, Defendant…
Date: August 25, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0456
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court dismissing Appellants' complaint and denying Appellants' motion to amend their complaint, holding that Appellants' declaratory judgment claims challenging the…
Date: August 25, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0680
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the district court's order denying the petition filed by the City of Bozeman seeking judicial review of a final order of the Department of Natural Resources (DNRC) granting Utility Solutions,…
Date: August 25, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0012
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court affirming the Acting Roosevelt County Superintendent of School's grant of a territory transfer from Poplar Elementary School District No. 9 to Froid Elementary…
Date: August 24, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0223
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court vacating and modifying the orders of the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) reducing standard-offer contract rates and maximum contract lengths for small…
Date: August 18, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0158
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the orders of the district court holding Plaintiff liable for additional taxes Defendants owed as a result of Plaintiff's prepayment on the contract, holding that…
Date: August 18, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0596
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendants' motion to dismiss claims asserted against Glacier County officials (collectively, the County) in Plaintiffs' complaint due to lack of…
Date: August 18, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0081
Justia Opinion Summary: In this fifth case arising from an ongoing dispute between Plaintiffs and Glacier County and certain county officials (collectively, the County), the Supreme Court reversed the district court's grant of Plaintiffs'…
Date: August 11, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0594
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the order of the district court denying Appellants leave to amend their answer and dismissing their counterclaims with prejudice, holding that the district court…
Date: August 11, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0342
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction of sexual intercourse without consent, holding that the district court abused its discretion and compromised Defendant's right to a fair trial when it allowed expert…
Date: August 11, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0501
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs, methamphetamine, and criminal possession of dangerous drugs, methamphetamine, holding that the district court erred in…
Date: August 11, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0661
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case involving six water right claims on Big Warm Creek the Supreme Court affirmed the Water Court's final order, holding that the Water Court did not err or abuse its discretion. Specifically, the Supreme Court…
Date: August 11, 2020
Docket Number: DA 20-0050
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Matthew Monforton's petition for judicial review of a final agency decision by the office of the Commissioner of Political Practices (COPP) dismissing an…
Date: August 4, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0388
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of felony strangulation of his girlfriend, holding the evidence was sufficient to support the conviction, and Defendant did not receive ineffective assistance of…
Date: August 4, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0262
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed but on different grounds the summary judgment granted by the district court ruling that the equitable doctrine of unjust enrichment precluded the claim brought by Mountain Water Company for a…
Date: August 4, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0599
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the district court's entry of summary judgment in favor of Elk Grove Development Company (Elk Grove) and the Elk Grove Homeowners Association (HOA) and entry of an injunction enjoining the Four…
Date: August 4, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0674
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's complaint on the ground that his state common-law tort claims for slander and emotional distress were preempted by the federal Civil…
Date: July 28, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0588
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of one count of sexual intercourse without consent, holding that the district court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to strike a prospective juror for cause.…
Date: July 28, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0506
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that a provision in the Office of the State Public Defender's contract with private attorneys specifying that hourly compensation rates can unilaterally be changed by the State permits prospective…
Date: July 14, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0074
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court designating Defendant as a persistent felony offender (PFO) and imposing an enhanced sentence under Mont. Code Ann. 46-18-502 , holding that the PFO…
Date: July 14, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0510
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's complaint against Defendant, his student loan servicer, as expressly preempted by the Higher Education Act (HEA), 20 U.S.C. 1098g, holding…
Date: July 14, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0521
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court awarding $2,353,463 in damages to Junkermier, Clark, Campanella, Stevens, P.C. (JCCS), a Montana accounting firm, after a bench…
Date: July 7, 2020
Docket Number: DA 17-0697
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court denying Defendant's motion to suppress the evidence discovered during a police officer's chemical "field test" on the contents of a syringe found in…
Date: July 7, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0679
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court adjudicating that Defendant satisfied the judgment debt on Plaintiff's successful breach of contract claim, holding that the district court erred in adjudging…
Date: July 7, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0696
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Missoula County and declaring that the right-of-way next to Plaintiff's property extends from Rio Vista Drive to the…
Date: June 30, 2020
Docket Number: DA 17-0612
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of attempted deliberate homicide, holding that a challenged jury instruction did not undermine the fundamental fairness of the proceeding. After a jury trial, Defendant…
Date: June 30, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0319
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Farmers Insurance Exchange on Plaintiff's claim for underinsured motorist (UIM) benefits, holding that Plaintiff's UIM…
Date: June 30, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0664
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court in favor of the Billings Clinic on the negligence claim brought by Plaintiffs Nancy Nolan and her husband Thomas Garrity after Nolan slipped and fell on ice…
Date: June 23, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0138
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction and sentence for burglary, holding that the district court erred by requiring Defendant to pay restitution for pecuniary losses resulting from offenses committed by…
Date: June 23, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0226
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the district court's denial of Appellant's petition for postconviction relief and the court's order granting partial summary judgment in favor of the State, holding that the district court did…
Date: June 23, 2020
Docket Number: OP 20-0276
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that service is not required when the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, Employment Relations Division (DLI) files an application for enforcement of judgment when it seeks enforcement of a…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0111
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the sentencing order and judgment issued by the district court following Defendant's conviction of assault on a peace officer, a felony, holding that Defendant did not use a "weapon" pursuant…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0180
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court revoking the suspended portion of Defendant's sentence for failing to complete sex offender treatment while in prison, holding that because there was no…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0416
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court upholding the declaratory ruling of the Flathead Conservation District asserting jurisdiction over David and Jacqueline Stalowy's dredging project, holding…
Date: June 16, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0515
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the district court's order denying the petition to reopen Chandler Swanberg's estate filed by Tristan Swanberg and Taylor Swanberg and reversed the district court's decision failing to award…
Date: June 9, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0549
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Appellant's petition for judicial review for failure to exhaust Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) employee grievance remedies, holding…
Date: June 9, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0615
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court affirming the administrative decision of the Montana Tax Appeal Board (MTAB) regarding Petitioner's residency status and dismissing his petition for judicial…
Date: June 2, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0646
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Defendant's motion to withdraw his guilty plea, holding that, despite the Montana Legislature's later repeal of the Boot Camp Incarceration Program,…
Date: June 2, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0486
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Mother's motion to amend the parenting plan entered into between the parties, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion by denying…
Date: May 26, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0312
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court voiding a permit issued by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) allowing the Montana Artesian Water Company (MAWC) to appropriate…
Date: May 20, 2020
Docket Number: OP 19-0304
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court accepted a question certified to it by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and answered that, under Montana law, dinosaur fossils do not constitute "minerals" for the purpose of a…
Date: May 19, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0346
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for attempted deliberate homicide and evidence tampering, both felonies, holding that the district court did not commit plain error in the proceedings…
Date: May 19, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0425
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the termination of Mother's parental rights to her child, D.D., holding that D.D. was not an abused or neglected child as provided in Mont. Code Ann. 41-3-102(2)(a), (7)(a)(i)-(iii) and…
Date: May 19, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0426
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the family court terminating Mother's parental rights to her child, C.S., holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion in the proceedings below. After a…
Date: May 19, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0502
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court accepted supervisory control over this matter and affirmed the district court's ruling denying Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company's motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction, holding…
Date: May 12, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0021
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence for criminal possession of dangerous drugs, a felony, holding that the district court did not err by denying Defendant's motion to suppress evidence obtained…
Date: May 12, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0225
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court adopting in full a standing master's findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order amending a parenting plan to direct a fifty-fifty division of parenting…
Date: May 12, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0391
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court granting the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services' (DPHHS) motion for judgment on the pleadings, holding that the district court did not err in…
Date: May 5, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0434
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction for sexual assault, holding that the municipal court erred when it instructed the jury on a definition of "consent" from the 2017 sexual assault statute and not the…
Date: April 28, 2020
Docket Number: DA 17-0549
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's drug-related convictions, holding that the district court abused its discretion in admitting evidence regarding Defendant's prior DUI convictions, and the error was not…
Date: April 28, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0162
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court granting Continental Resources, Inc.'s motion to dismiss for lack of specific personal jurisdiction Plaintiff's complaint alleging that Continental was liable…
Date: April 28, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0504
Justia Opinion Summary: In this property dispute, the Supreme Court reversed the decision of the district court granting Defendant's motion to stay proceedings without holding a hearing on Plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction,…
Date: April 21, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0008
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court dissolving Sam Mahlum's marriage to Terri Elder and equitably apportioning the parties' marital estate, holding that the district court erroneously…
Date: April 21, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0374
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the post-judgment order of the district court requiring David Ruis to pay his ex-wife, Twila Ruis, a cash equalization payment plus interest in accordance with the court's earlier dissolution…
Date: April 14, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0357
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the district court's order granting summary judgment in favor of Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, Inc. (SCL) on Cheryl Bratton's claims, holding that the district court did not…
Date: April 14, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0418
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court terminating Father's parental rights to his child, A.L.P., holding that the district court erred when it based its finding that Father's treatment plan was…
Date: April 7, 2020
Docket Numbers: DA 17-0300, DA 19-0115
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court partially denying Appellant's motion for attorney fees, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion in its determination of whether attorney…
Date: April 7, 2020
Docket Number: DA 17-0398
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed all but one of Defendant's convictions for six felonies stemming from a Ponzi scheme he devised that defrauded investors of $2 million, holding that one of the convictions violated the…
Date: April 7, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0164
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Defendant's request for credit for time served while he was released on bail during the pendency of his probation revocation proceeding, holding that a…
Date: April 7, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0076
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the findings of the Water Court in adjudicating two of Twin Creeks's water rights claims, holding that the Water court did not err in finding that Twin Creeks…
Date: April 7, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0336
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court declining to dismiss Plaintiff's wrongful discharge claim, holding that Plaintiff failed timely to file his complaint in the district court within the applicable…
Date: March 31, 2020
Docket Number: DA 17-0470
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court finding Defendant guilty of one count of partner or family member assault and one count of deliberate homicide, holding that the court erred in admitting some…
Date: March 31, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0390
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court involuntarily committing Appellant to the Montana State Hospital (MSH) for a period not to exceed ninety days, holding that there was sufficient evidence to…
Date: March 31, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0067
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment to the City of Billing on Appellant's claims that the City was vicariously liable for the tortious acts of former City employee…
Date: March 31, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0327
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court determining that Defendant, a chiropractor, was not negligent in his care of Plaintiff, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion in any of…
Date: March 25, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0661
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the order of the district court denying Appellant's application for temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, ruling that holding individuals pursuant…
Date: March 25, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0231
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court terminating Mother's parental rights to her son, holding that the district court did not err in terminating Mother's parental rights. In terminating Mother's…
Date: March 25, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0478
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Central Montana Medical Center (CCMC) and dismissing Plaintiff's complaint alleging wrongful termination and violation…
Date: March 25, 2020
Docket Number: OP 19-0051
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court allowed hundreds of former employees of W.R. Grace & Company's Zonolite Division in Libby (Grace) to continue their asbestos-related personal injury claims against Maryland Casualty Company (MCC),…
Date: March 17, 2020
Docket Number: DA 17-0684
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of felony sexual assault, holding that the court did not err by denying Defendant's for-cause challenge of a prospective juror. During…
Date: March 17, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0574
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the district court's denial of Appellant's motion to strike a prior conviction for purposes of enhancing Appellant's DUI charge to a felony, holding that the district court did not err by…
Date: March 11, 2020
Docket Number: OP 19-0085
Justia Opinion Summary: In this action brought against BNSF Railway Company due to its alleged involvement with the asbestos contamination in Libby, Montana the Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the decision of the Montana…
Date: March 10, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0219
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of felony DUI, disorderly conduct, and driving with a suspended license, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on his unpreserved claim that the district…
Date: March 10, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0419
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court upholding the ruling of the municipal court denying Defendant's motion to dismiss for lack of probable cause the criminal trespass charge against him, holding…
Date: March 3, 2020
Docket Number: DA 17-0721
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI), fourth offense, a felony under Mont. Code Ann. 61-8-401, holding that the district court did not err in denying…
Date: March 3, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0233
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the jury verdict and subsequent judgment and sentence issued by the district court convicting Defendant of misdemeanor criminal trespass and felony criminal mischief resulting from Defendant…
Date: March 3, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0684
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the Water Court closing certification case, holding that the Water Court did not err in its rulings. Specifically, the Supreme Court held that the Water Court did not err (1) in…
Date: March 3, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0277
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court certifying three classes of more than 30,000 ratepayers of the City of Billings who challenged certain franchise fees that the City imposed on water, wastewater,…
Date: February 25, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0603
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment for the Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) and dismissing Plaintiff's claims for wrongful discharge from employment, violation…
Date: February 25, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0159
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Roger Hall and dismissing John Payne's claims for, among other things, fraud, negligence, and negligent/intentional…
Date: February 25, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0385
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court denying as untimely Defendant's motion for substitution of judge, holding that the substitution motion was timely because federal law halts any proceedings in…
Date: February 25, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0437
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court dividing marital assets in Husband's dissolution from Wife, holding that the district court did not commit clear error in its findings of fact and did not abuse…
Date: February 12, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0169
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court reversing the Montana Commissioner of Political Practices' summary decision of complaint without informal contested case hearing…
Date: February 11, 2020
Docket Number: DA 17-0494
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of partner family member assault (PFMA), holding that Defendant's claim that he received ineffective assistance of counsel (IAC) was not susceptible to review on direct…
Date: February 11, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0272
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Stepmother's petition for stepparent adoption of the minor child, N.P.M., holding that Step-grandmother had standing to object to Stepmother's…
Date: February 11, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0331
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment for the City of Billings and Jon Does 1-10, thus dismissing Plaintiff's claims for negligence and nuisance, holding that Plaintiff's…
Date: February 4, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0028
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part Appellant's designation as a persistent felony offender (PFO) and corresponding enhanced sentence, holding that Appellant was improperly sentenced as a…
Date: February 4, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0255
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court affirming a justice court verdict finding Appellant guilty of failure to obtain landowner permission for hunting, holding the district court correctly…
Date: February 4, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0345
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the summary judgment in favor of Collaborative Design Architects, Inc. (CDA) declaring that a prescriptive easement had been acquired over Barrett, Inc.'s property for the Red Lodge High…
Date: January 28, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0410
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court revoking Appellant's deferred sentence for criminal possession of illicit drugs, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion when it revoked…
Date: January 28, 2020
Docket Number: DA 18-0536
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court modifying the parties' prior Florida parenting plan, holding that the district court did not erroneously modify the parties' Florida parenting plan in…
Date: January 28, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0105
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the termination of Father's parental rights to his son, holding that the district court did not err by finding that the Department of Health and Human Services made reasonable efforts to…
Date: January 22, 2020
Docket Number: OP 19-0285
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court upheld a district judge's order allowing the Montana State Hospital (MSH) to involuntarily medicate Petitioner if he refused to take prescribed antipsychotic medication, holding that the district court…
Date: January 21, 2020
Docket Number: DA 17-0727
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court reversing an order entered by the municipal court granting Appellant's motion to suppress and dismiss, holding that the district court erred in determining that…
Date: January 21, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0410
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Roseburg Forest Products Company's motion to set aside default judgment, holding that the district court did not slightly abuse its discretion in…
Date: January 21, 2020
Docket Number: OP 19-0109
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court holding that Montana law precluded a jury trial on Plaintiff's federal discrimination claims even though federal law allows a jury trial for federal claims,…
Date: January 14, 2020
Docket Number: DA 17-0653
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions of assault with a weapon and aggravated assault, holding that the district court did not err or abuse its discretion. Specifically, the Court held that the district…
Date: January 14, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0293
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court terminating Father's parental rights to his two children, holding that Father's due process rights were infringed by ineffective assistance of counsel, and…
Date: January 8, 2020
Docket Number: DA 19-0077
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed a $35 million jury verdict in favor of Alexis Nunez on her claim that the Jehovah's Witnesses were negligent as a matter of law when they failed to notify authorities of a 2004 child abuse…
Date: January 7, 2020
Docket Number: DA 17-0442
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of burglary, theft, and violating an order of protection, holding that Defendant waived his right to be present at all critical stages of…
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