Montana Workers’ Compensation Court
No decisions reported this period.
SUBMITTED MATTERS
Motions & Miscellaneous Matters
| Case | Pleading | Date Submitted |
| Rutledge v. Technology Ins. Co. | Petitioner’s Cross-Motion for Summary Judgement | 2/11/26 |
| Rutledge v. Technology Ins. Co. | Respondent’s Motion for Summary Judgment | 2/17/26 |
| Guitron v. UEF | UEF’s Motion for Summary Judgment | 5/15/26
|
| Guitron v. UEF | Villegas Del Villar’s Motion for Summary Judgment | 5/20/26
|
| Fievet v. FedEx Freight, Inc.
|
Respondent’s Motion for Summary Judgment | 9/10/26 |
| Boyer v. Montana State Fund | Petitioner’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment | 9/11/26 |
Upcoming Trials, Hearings & Conferences
| Date | Time | Place | Issue | Case |
| 9/30/26 | 10.00 am | Helena | Trial | Krueger v. Clear Spring Prop. & Cas. Co. |
| 10/20/26 | 9:00 am | Missoula | Perpetuation Deposition of Dr. Layton | Krueger v. Clear Spring Prop. & Cas. Co. |
| 11/4/26 | 10:00 am | Zoom / WA | Perpetuation Deposition of Dr. Corey | Krueger v. Clear Spring Prop. & Cas. Co. |
| 11/6/26 | 8:30 am | Missoula | Trial | Wheeler v. Montana State Fund |
| Week of
11/16/26 |
9:00 am | Butte | Trial | Krueger v. Clear Spring Prop. & Cas. Co. |
Montana Workers’ Compensation Stipulations Summary (week ending September 24, 2026)
PLAN 2
| Case Name | DOI | Body Part(s) | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Petitioner Attorney | Respondent Attorney |
| Migue Reynauga Hernandez | 4/23/24 | Right ankle; | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $32,525.00 | Bulman, Thomas; Bradford, Spencer
Bulman Jones & Cook PLLC |
Potts, Adrianna
Potts Law PLLC |
| Renee Robinson v. New Hampshire Ins. Co. | 2/13/21 | Upper back | Full and Final – Medicals Reserved | $10,000.00 | Blackaby, Dean
Montana Work Comp Solutions |
Smith, Charlie
Crowley Fleck PLLP |
ESD Settlements Approved through September 18, 2026
PLAN 1
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Garner, Sarah | 11/2/25 | Low back; | Best Interests | $5,000.00 | None |
| Verlanic, Amy | 3/30/23 | Multiple trunk; | Best Interests | $17,000.00 | Everett, Bernard |
PLAN 2
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Bishop, Molly | 7/15/26 | Ankle; | Disputed Initial Compensability | $5,000.00 | Tempel-St. John, Stacy |
| Bishop, Molly | 7/31/23 | Lower leg; | Best Interests | $25,000.00 | Tempel-St. John, Stacy |
| Carter, Evelyn | 7/31/23 | Shoulder(s); | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Reserved | $75,000.00 | Helmer, Chris |
| Cowley, Debra | 1/15/24 | Elbow; | Best Interests | $11,706.26 | None |
| Foy, Stephen | 6/1/25 | Shoulder(s); | Best Interests | $5,000.00 | None |
| Lawrence, Ashley | 3/6/26 | Shoulder(s); | Best Interests | $7,000.00 | Rasmusson, Eric |
| Rodriquez, Joel | 12/15/25 | Foot; | Best Interests | $5,000.00 | Field, Avery |
PLAN 3
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Bell, James | 6/6/26 | Knee; | Disputed Initial Compensability | $3,550.00 | None |
| Evans, Jeffrey | 1/7/26 | Elbow; | Disputed Initial Compensability | $12,000.00 | None |
| Gundlach, Carrie | 3/19/26 | Low back; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $1,106.13 | None |
| Henry, Crystal | 1/3/24 | Low back; | Best Interests | $5,500.00 | Blackaby, Dean |
| Hill, Mary | 10/31/25 | Upper back; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $80,000.00 | Overturf, Greg |
| Kennedy, Bruce | 11/28/22 | Wrist; | Best Interests | $75,000.00 | Miller, Megan |
| Managhan, Kyler | 9/30/24 | Upper back; | Best Interests | $77,500.00 | Dalpiaz, Leslae |
| Primero, Pablo | 7/22/25 | Pelvis | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $60,000.00 | Murphy, Matthew |
| Radmer, Ronald | 2/6/24 | Upper back; | Best Interests | $91,000.00 | Dalpiaz, Miranda |
Key Insights for Montana Work Comp Professionals
- Summary judgment activity dominates the WCC’s pending motion docket. All six submitted matters identified in the report involve motions for summary judgment or partial summary judgment, including competing motions in Rutledge v. Technology Insurance Co. and Guitron v. UEF. This suggests several potentially important dispositive rulings are in the pipeline even though the Court reported no new decisions during this period.
- The Krueger litigation is very active and worth watching. Krueger v. Clear Spring Property & Casualty Co. has a September 30 trial, two separate perpetuation depositions scheduled for October and November, and another trial setting during the week of November 16. The multiple proceedings suggest a factually or medically intensive dispute that may generate a substantive WCC decision.
- Settlement values show substantial dispersion—even among claims involving similar body regions. The reported ESD settlements range from just $1,106.13 for a low-back claim with medicals closed to $91,000 for an upper-back Best Interests settlement. Other relatively high settlements include $80,000, $77,500, $75,000, and $60,000, illustrating how little can be inferred about settlement value from the identified body part alone.
- Disputed initial compensability claims are resolving for relatively modest amounts in this reporting period. The three identified settlements expressly categorized as “Disputed Initial Compensability” were $3,550, $5,000, and $12,000. While the sample is too small for broad valuation conclusions, these figures provide useful current reference points when evaluating nuisance-value or litigation-risk resolutions of contested compensability claims.
- Medical closure does not necessarily correlate with a low settlement. The reported settlements involving closure of medical benefits vary dramatically—from $1,106.13 to $80,000, with other medical-closure settlements of $32,525 and $60,000. Conversely, the report includes a $75,000 settlement with medicals reserved. For practitioners, the data reinforces that the value attributed to closing future medical exposure is highly claim-specific rather than susceptible to a simple rule of thumb.
