Montana Supreme Court Decisions 2023
Date: December 28, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 255N
Docket Number: DA 21-0580
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, the Supreme Court of the State of Montana upheld the decision of the Montana First Judicial District Court, Lewis and Clark County, committing the appellant, C.M., a youth, to the custody of the Department…
Date: December 27, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 249
Docket Number: DA 21-0372
Justia Opinion Summary: This case involves an appeal by Bryce Caleb Hamernick, against his conviction for Sexual Intercourse Without Consent (SIWOC) in the Fourth Judicial District Court. The Supreme Court of Montana considered whether the…
Date: December 27, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 251
Docket Number: DA 21-0587
Justia Opinion Summary: In the case, Jose Martinez Jr. was convicted by a jury in the Thirteenth Judicial District Court, Yellowstone County, for two counts of incest, criminal distribution of dangerous drugs, solicitation to commit tampering…
Date: December 27, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 253
Docket Number: DA 22-0456
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, Lindsay Burns Barbier contested the validity of the 2016 will of her father, Horatio Burns, alleging that her brother Cameron and his wife Alison exerted undue influence over Horatio. The Supreme Court of…
Date: December 27, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 250
Docket Number: DA 22-0670
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves an appeal by William Russell and Mountain View Investments, LLC, (MVI) against a judgment from the Eleventh Judicial District Court, Flathead County, in favor of 360 Reclaim, LLC. The dispute revolves…
Date: December 27, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 252
Docket Number: DA 23-0270
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case, the Supreme Court of the State of Montana had to decide if the Thirteenth Judicial District Court erred by disallowing a stipulated agreement for entry of a consent judgment between American Express…
Date: December 19, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 243
Docket Number: DA 22-0048
Justia Opinion Summary: In the State of Montana v. Sky M. Little Coyote, the Supreme Court of Montana dealt with an appeal by Little Coyote, who had been incarcerated and was appealing the revocation of his suspended sentence. Little Coyote…
Date: December 19, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 242
Docket Number: DA 22-0062
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court of the State of Montana reversed a district court's decision in a case involving a plaintiff, John Breuer, who sued the State of Montana for injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. The accident…
Date: December 19, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 248N
Docket Number: DA 23-0185
Date: December 12, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 238
Docket Number: DA 21-0383
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Tylor Buttolph who appealed his conviction of stalking. Buttolph had been charged with eight counts of felony stalking, allegedly occurring between October 17, 2019, and April 6, 2020. For each count of…
Date: December 12, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 240
Docket Number: DA 23-0046
Justia Opinion Summary: In the State of Montana, a group of parents and the non-profit organization Stand Up Montana sued several school districts in Missoula County over the implementation of mask mandates in schools during the COVID-19…
Date: December 12, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 239
Docket Number: DA 23-0057
Justia Opinion Summary: In the case before the Supreme Court of the State of Montana, the petitioner, Jay Watson, filed a grievance against his employer, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP or agency), claiming he was…
Date: December 12, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 241
Docket Number: DA 23-0231
Justia Opinion Summary: In the case heard by the Supreme Court of the State of Montana, Caryn Miske, the plaintiff and appellant, was appealing a district court decision that granted the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC)…
Date: December 5, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 236
Docket Number: DA 22-0325
Justia Opinion Summary: In this case from the Supreme Court of the State of Montana, the defendant, Joshua Richard Larson, appealed the revocation of his suspended sentence by the Fourth Judicial District Court. Larson argued that the…
Date: December 5, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 235
Docket Number: DA 23-0108
Justia Opinion Summary: This case before the Supreme Court of the State of Montana involves Anthony Reed, the petitioner and appellant, and Catherine Martin, the respondent and appellee. The two parties share a child, L.R., born in 2013. After…
Date: December 5, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 234
Docket Number: DA 23-0156
Justia Opinion Summary: In the Supreme Court of the State of Montana, a dispute arose over the distribution of a deceased person's estate, particularly a 1978 Ford pickup truck. The decedent was Ronald Glen Kemmer, who died intestate and was…
Date: December 5, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 233
Docket Number: DA 23-0218
Justia Opinion Summary: In the case before the Supreme Court of the State of Montana, the plaintiff, Kevin Barber, appealed against his former employer, Bradford Aquatic Group, LLC, alleging wrongful termination. Bradford Aquatic Group, a North…
Date: November 28, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 227
Docket Number: DA 21-0360
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court granting prescriptive easements over two roadways to Defendants, concluding that remand was required with instructions to conform…
Date: November 28, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 228
Docket Number: DA 22-0509
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment entered by the district court following a jury verdict in favor of Plaintiff on his nuisance claim against Glacier Electric Co-op, Inc., holding that the district court did not err…
Date: November 27, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 224
Docket Numbers: DA 22-0064, DA 22-0067, DA 22-0068, DA 22-0281
Date: November 22, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 224
Docket Numbers: DA 22-0064, DA 22-0067, DA 22-0068, DA 22-0281
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court ruling in favor of the Montana Environmental Information Center and Sierra Club (collectively, Conservation Groups) and vacating…
Date: November 22, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 226
Docket Number: OP 23-0634
Date: November 22, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 225
Docket Number: OP 23-0635
Date: November 22, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 225
Docket Number: OP 23-0635
Date: November 21, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 222N
Docket Number: DA 22-0691
Date: November 21, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 218
Docket Number: DA 22-0744
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Ryan Adamson's motion for relief and an order granting Sylvia Moody's petition for subsequent administration of the Estate of Victor Starkel, holding…
Date: November 14, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 214
Docket Number: DA 21-0356
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment entered by the district court following a jury trial in which Defendant was found guilty of criminal mischief and sentenced to six days in jail but…
Date: November 14, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 215N
Docket Number: DA 23-0012
Date: November 7, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 210
Docket Number: DA 22-0089
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment and order transferring jurisdiction of this matter involving H.R. from youth court to district court, imposing a Department of Corrections (DOC) commitment, auditing two years of…
Date: November 7, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 208
Docket Number: DA 22-0312
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgments of the district court enforcing the parties' mediated memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding a subdivision dispute and then implementing it in…
Date: November 7, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 209
Docket Number: DA 22-0656
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the determination of the district court granting Hill County, Montana, and Blaine County, Montana summary judgment on the standalone claims brought by the Estate of…
Date: October 31, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 203
Docket Number: DA 22-0306
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court sentencing Defendant, holding that the district court did not err in determining that there was probable cause Defendant committed a crime that allowed the…
Date: October 31, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 201
Docket Numbers: DA 22-0498, DA 22-0358
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed judgments issued by the district court in these consolidated appeals concerning the interpretation of the Montana Residential Mobile Home Lot Rental Act as it related to mobile home owners who…
Date: October 31, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 207N
Docket Number: DA 23-0125
Date: October 31, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 202
Docket Number: DA 23-0157
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court terminating Mother's parental rights to Daughter, holding that the district court did not err or abuse its discretion. Following a hearing, the district…
Date: October 24, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 196
Docket Number: DA 21-0589
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's felony sentence imposed in connection with his conviction for felony driving under the influence (DUI) per se, holding that the presentence investigation report (PSI) in this case…
Date: October 24, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 197
Docket Number: DA 23-0111
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court issuing an order awarding the Estate of Thomas Ronan the insurance proceeds of a house that was destroyed by fire, holding that the district court did not…
Date: October 17, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 194
Docket Number: DA 21-0248
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Defendant's motion to suppress evidence obtained during a probation home visit, holding that the district court did not err in denying the suppression…
Date: October 11, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 193
Docket Number: OP 22-0587
Date: October 11, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 193
Docket Number: OP 22-0587
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court accepted supervisory control in the underlying action, holding that Montana had specific personal jurisdiction over Melissa Groo regarding Triple D Game Farm, Inc.'s intentional tort claims when the…
Date: October 10, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 190N
Docket Number: DA 22-0596
Date: October 6, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 188
Docket Number: DA 21-0465
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court sentencing Defendant to seventy years in Montana State Prison for deliberate homicide, a felony, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on his…
Date: September 26, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 181
Docket Number: DA 21-0323
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court sentencing Defendant based on the counts of strangulation of a partner, assault of a partner, and child endangerment, holding that the district court did not…
Date: September 26, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 180
Docket Number: DA 21-0653
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying the motion filed by H.M., a youth held in detention, seeking to dismiss a formal petition brought by the State to adjudicate H.M. as a delinquent youth,…
Date: September 26, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 179
Docket Number: OP 23-0331
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Attorney General rejecting a constitutional initiative proposed for the 2024 ballot (B12), of which Petitioner was a proponent, holding that the Attorney General correctly…
Date: September 20, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 178N
Docket Number: DA 21-0509
Date: September 20, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 175
Docket Number: DA 22-0133
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgments of the district court adjudicating a parental interest and accompanying parenting plan regarding Father's minor child in favor of his non-parent…
Date: September 20, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 176
Docket Number: DA 23-0036
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of the City of Whitefish and affirming the Whitefish City Council's decisions to deny a conditional use permit (CUP) and grant…
Date: September 20, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 177
Docket Number: DA 23-0054
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court granting a Partnership's motion for summary judgment and concluding that Tract 3, one of three individual tracts that were carved out from Owners' land for…
Date: September 19, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 172
Docket Number: DA 21-0202
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of aggravated kidnapping, sexual intercourse without consent, and partner or family member assault, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on any of his…
Date: September 19, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 174
Docket Number: DA 22-0123
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court following a jury verdict in favor of Glacier Eye Center, P.C. (GEC) and Kalispell Regional Medical Center, Inc. (KRMC) in this medical malpractice action,…
Date: September 19, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 173
Docket Number: DA 23-0115
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court finding that Frank Piocos was not eligible to be a candidate for Roosevelt County Attorney, holding that the district court had substantial, credible evidence…
Date: September 12, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 170
Docket Number: DA 21-0647
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the district court imposing costs, surcharges, and fees as recommended by Defendant's presentence investigation report in connection with his conviction of felony driving under…
Date: September 12, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 171N
Docket Number: DA 22-0741
Date: September 5, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 168
Docket Number: DA 21-0570
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court in this tax appeal, holding that the district court erred by concluding that Mont. Code Ann. 15-30-2119, the NOL statute, operates as a dollar-for-dollar offset…
Date: September 5, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 169N
Docket Numbers: DA 22-0736, DA 22-0737
Date: August 31, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 167
Docket Number: DA 21-0618
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's motion to transfer his criminal case to youth court, holding that the district court abused its discretion by failing to consider…
Date: August 22, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 162
Docket Number: DA 21-0164
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court revoking Defendant's suspended sentences, holding that the district court had no authority to revoke Defendant's sentence and impose on a new sentence on the…
Date: August 22, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 161
Docket Number: DA 22-0568
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court terminating Mother's parental rights to R.K., holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion when it terminated Mother's parental rights. After a…
Date: August 22, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 160
Docket Number: DA 22-0701
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court awarding Plaintiff $1,000 in actual damages and $2,000 in punitive damages in the underlying trial relating to Defendant's potentially racial motivations for…
Date: August 15, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 154
Docket Number: DA 21-0579
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion to suppress and dismiss, holding that Defendant's warrantless arrest was unlawful, and therefore, it was error for the district…
Date: August 15, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 155N
Docket Numbers: DA 21-0616, DA 21-0617
Date: August 15, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 156N
Docket Numbers: DA 23-0010, DA 23-0011
Date: August 8, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 151
Docket Numbers: DA 22-0390, DA 22-0389
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court denying Appellant's second petition for postconviction relief (PCR) relating to his convictions for two counts of sexual intercourse without consent, two counts…
Date: August 8, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 150
Docket Number: DA 22-0579
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court determining that there was no genuine dispute of material fact that a routine clothed body search did not violate Appellant's Eighth Amendment rights, holding…
Date: August 1, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 147
Docket Number: DA 21-0030
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the jury verdict and subsequent judgment of conviction and sentencing order issued by the district court convicting Defendant of sexual abuse of children and sentencing her to 100 years at the…
Date: August 1, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 146
Docket Number: DA 21-0337
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court adjudging Defendant guilty of five offenses, holding that the district court lacked jurisdiction over counts one, four, and five,…
Date: July 25, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 143
Docket Number: DA 21-0326
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court imposing sentencing conditions limiting Defendant's ability to access the internet or possess certain electronic devices, holding that three conditions were…
Date: July 25, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 142
Docket Number: DA 21-0624
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's motion to dismiss for lack of a speedy trial, holding that, while the State did not show a valid reason for the over 1,300-day delay in…
Date: July 18, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 138
Docket Number: DA 22-0482
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court granting a summary judgment motion filed by Petitioners and two insurers, Farmers Insurance Exchange and Truck Insurance Exchange (collectively, Insurers), and…
Date: July 18, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 140
Docket Number: DA 22-0487
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court enforcing a settlement agreement between Duane Bender and Rebecca Estates, LLC (collectively, Bender) and Stacey Rosman providing for Bender's purchase of…
Date: July 18, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 139
Docket Number: DA 22-0531
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying a writ of prohibition of administrative proceedings initiated by the Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, holding that the district court…
Date: July 18, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 137
Docket Number: DA 22-0554
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court granting a new trial and vacating the underlying judgment on a $168,500 jury verdict in favor of Plaintiff in an admitted-liability automobile accident case,…
Date: July 11, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 132
Docket Number: DA 21-0405
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction for threats and other improper influence in official and political matters but remanded for the district court to strike its imposition of pretrial supervision costs,…
Date: July 11, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 131
Docket Number: DA 21-0466
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's convictions and sentence for negligent vehicular assault, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct, holding that the district court committed reversible error by responding to the…
Date: July 11, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 135N
Docket Number: DA 23-0008
Date: July 5, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 129
Docket Number: DA 20-0243
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court denying Defendant's request to provide a jury instruction on th lesser-included offense of mitigated deliberate homicide and the…
Date: June 20, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 118
Docket Number: DA 21-0406
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the municipal court sentencing Appellant for operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or greater (DUI per se), first offense, holding that the…
Date: June 20, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 117
Docket Number: DA 22-0279
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision and orders entered by the district court in this property dispute, holding that substantial credible evidence supported the district court's finding that Cremer Rodeo Land and…
Date: June 20, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 119
Docket Number: DA 22-0438
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court denying Hamilton Southside Historic Preservation Association's (HSHPA) petition for a writ of certiorari challenging four decisions of the Hamilton Zoning…
Date: June 20, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 120
Docket Number: DA 22-0622
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Appellant's motion to dismiss a complaint citing him with violating 49 C.F.R. 393.11, incorporated by Mont. Code Ann. 61-10-154, which required a red…
Date: June 20, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 121
Docket Number: DA 22-0625
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment and orders approving a settlement between Robert Allum and Montana State Fund and dismissing Allum's claims for benefits, holding that Allum resolved all of his dispute benefits,…
Date: June 14, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 116
Docket Number: DA 20-0197
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court denying Defendant's motion to dismiss the State's felony charge against him for failure to register as a sexual offender, holding that the Sexual or Violent…
Date: June 13, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 110
Docket Number: DA 19-0471
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions for two homicides and two attempts to solicit a third homicide, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on his allegations of error. After a jury trial,…
Date: June 13, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 109
Docket Number: DA 21-0196
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of assault with a weapon and his commitment to the Department of Public Health and Human Service (DPHHS) for the duration of his twenty-year sentence with ten years…
Date: June 13, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 112
Docket Number: DA 22-0182
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court requiring Broadwater County to provide to Helena Independent Record (IR) or other interested persons redacted videographer and documentation records pertaining…
Date: June 13, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 111
Docket Number: DA 22-0608
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order issued by the district court denying Montana Opticom, LLC's motion to disqualify counsel for Scott Rysewyk, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion by denying the…
Date: June 6, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 104
Docket Number: DA 22-0590
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the rulings of the Workers' Compensation Court (WCC) determining that Johnny Lee Sheldon's claim was compensable, that Contessa Bryer, Sheldon's guardian and conservator, was entitled to her…
Date: May 30, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 98
Docket Number: DA 21-0381
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of aggravated burglary and obstructing a police officer and sentencing him to forty years for aggravated burglary…
Date: May 30, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 100
Docket Number: DA 22-0154
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court granting summary judgment for United Fire and Casualty Company and concluding that Clifford Christian and/or his Estate were not owed a defense or…
Date: May 30, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 99
Docket Number: DA 22-0562
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the summary judgment order denying Plaintiff's wrongful discharge from employment claim, holding that Plaintiff was not entitled to relief on her claims of error. Plaintiff filed a complaint…
Date: May 23, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 97
Docket Number: DA 22-0524
Justia Opinion Summary: In this estate action, the Supreme Court reversed and vacated an order of the district court denying a motion to strike notice of disallowance and an order denying the personal representative's motion for summary…
Date: May 23, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 92
Docket Number: OP 22-0023
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court accepted certification of a state law question submitted by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and answered that the holding in Galbreath v. Golden Sunlight Mines, Inc., 890 P.2d…
Date: May 16, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 84
Docket Number: DA 20-0461
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment to Water for Flathead's Future (WFF) and vacating the Montana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (MPDES) permit issued by the…
Date: May 16, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 85
Docket Number: DA 21-0535
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the district court determining that the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) erred in granting Montana Artesian Water…
Date: May 16, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 86
Docket Number: DA 22-0112
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment to Water for Flathead's Future (WFF) and vacating the Montana Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (MPDES) permit issued by the…
Date: May 16, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 83
Docket Number: DA 22-0287
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court granting guardianship over L.S. and A.S. to David Sammons, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion. In granting guardianship, the district…
Date: May 16, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 87
Docket Number: DA 22-0319
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the district court concluding that Plaintiffs - a climate advocacy group and three NorthWestern Energy ratepayers - had standing to challenge Mont. Code Ann. 69-8-421 as…
Date: May 16, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 88
Docket Number: DA 22-0604
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court to deny Petitioner's petition to reinstate his driver's license, holding that the district court did not err in denying the petition because Petitioner did…
Date: May 12, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 82
Docket Number: DA 22-0207
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court ruling that Mont. Code Ann. 50-20-109(1)(a), which restricts providers of abortion care to physicians and physician assistants (PAs), violates a woman's…
Date: May 9, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 78
Docket Number: DA 21-0527
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgments of the district court convicting Defendant and denying his post-judgment motion for resentencing or rescission, holding that the district court…
Date: May 9, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 79
Docket Number: DA 22-0166
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of criminal endangerment, driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) and partner or family member assault, holding that the district…
Date: May 2, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 72
Docket Number: DA 22-0206
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court granting petitions made by Lorri Williams to formally probate the estate of Gerry Williams, her ex-husband, and to remove Vicki Hofedlt as personal…
Date: May 2, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 71
Docket Number: DA 22-0373
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment to the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and ruling that Kageco Orchards, LLC's requests for declaratory judgment relief…
Date: April 18, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 67
Docket Number: DA 20-0605
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of sexual intercourse without consent, holding that there was no error in the district court's evidentiary rulings. Specifically at…
Date: April 18, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 68N
Docket Number: DA 22-0527
Date: April 11, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 63
Docket Number: DA 21-0028
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment entered by the district court after a jury trial adjudging Defendant guilty of incest in violation of Mont. Code Ann. 45-5-507(1), holding that the district court did not err in…
Date: April 11, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 64
Docket Number: DA 21-0261
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the oral pronouncement issued by the district court waiving Appellant's right to be physically present at his commitment hearing and the findings of fact, conclusions of law, and order of…
Date: April 6, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 62
Docket Number: DA 22-0034
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court dismissing the complaint brought by Lustre Oil Company LLC and Erehwon Oil & Gas, LLC (collectively, Lustre Oil) for lack of subject matter jurisdiction,…
Date: March 28, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 51
Docket Number: DA 22-0467
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the district court upholding the ruling of the Montana Human Rights Commission dismissing Appellant's discrimination claim against the National Board of Medical Examiners…
Date: March 14, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 44
Docket Number: DA 21-0552
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment to Defendants on Plaintiffs' asserted medical malpractice claim against Dr. Julie Kuykendall and Great Falls Obstetrical and…
Date: March 14, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 43
Docket Number: DA 22-0094
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant's untimely post-conviction relief (PCR) petition and his motion for a new trial, holding that the district court did not abuse its…
Date: March 14, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 45
Docket Number: DA 22-0274
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court granting a preliminary injunction preventing Robert Oberlander from accessing his leased State school trust land via private roadways in a subdivision,…
Date: March 14, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 46N
Docket Number: DA 22-0365
Date: February 28, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 33
Docket Number: DA 21-0453
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's sentence for driving under the influence (DUI), holding that the district court erred by sentencing Defendant to the Montana State Prison (MSP) and by requiring him to pay a $100…
Date: February 21, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 30N
Docket Number: DA 22-0297
Date: February 7, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 26
Docket Number: DA 21-0179
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence for two counts of felony tampering with witnesses, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on any of his allegations of error. Specifically, the…
Date: February 7, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 25
Docket Number: DA 21-0308
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the conclusion of the district court that the more than three-year delay between Defendant's arrest and his subsequent criminal trial did not violate his constitutional right to a speedy trial,…
Date: January 24, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 16N
Docket Number: DA 22-0128
Date: January 17, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 8
Docket Number: DA 21-0412
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court revoking Defendant's deferred sentence and sentencing him to a five-year term with the Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) and giving him credit for 138…
Date: January 10, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 3
Docket Number: DA 20-0562
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court convicting Defendant of bail-jumping and sentencing him to ten years in prison with no time suspended, holding that there was no error in the proceedings…
Date: January 10, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 6
Docket Number: DA 21-0596
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed I'm part the order of the district court granting summary judgment to the State and Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (State) regarding interpretation of a…
Date: January 3, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 2
Docket Number: DA 20-0596
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment and commitment of the district court sentencing Appellant to fifty-five years in the Montana State Prison, including a consecutive ten-year commitment to the Department of…
Date: January 3, 2023
Citation: 2023 MT 1
Docket Number: DA 22-0405
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed the determination of the district court that the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) did not apply to this proceeding but declined Mother's request to order her three minor children's immediate…
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