Montana Law Week

The Weekly Digest of Montana Law

Good cause for additional earnings per co-worker affair

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Good cause to use additional earnings from before last 4 pay periods before injury per §123(3)(b) to calculate bus driver’s wages because co-worker’s affair with Assistant GM and owner’s condoning it created intolerable conditions that drove her to transfer positions and start part-time schedule and then co-worker and Asst. GM retaliated by giving her fewer hours… Claimant entitled to costs but not fees/penalty as calculation of wages under 123(3(a) was reasonable… Sandler. [Read more…]

Attempted delib homicide, child sex abuse comments

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ATTEMPTED DELIBERATE HOMICIDE: State improperly allowed to reference and elicit testimony regarding Defendant’s shocking child sex abuse comments in an explicit/repetitive manner that went beyond mere need to show motive to kill and was unfairly prejudicial… conviction reversed, remanded for new trial… McMahon reversed. [Read more…]

Wildfire liability, firing operations communications

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WILDFIRE LIABILITY: Negligence/intentional tort claims by landowners relating to FS’ communication decisions (or lack thereof) as to firing operations precluded by FTCA discretionary function exception… FS also had the legal right to conduct firing operations on out-of-state owner’s non-residential property, it did not intend for fire to travel or remain (trespass) on the properties, any emotional distress Plaintiffs suffered not “serious or severe”… Molloy. [Read more…]