Montana Workers’ Compensation Court
No decisions this reporting 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 |
|
Crisler v. Zurich American Ins. Co.
|
Respondent’s Motion for Reconsideration |
9/21/26 |
| Koehler v. Victory Ins. Co.
|
Appeal of Department’s Order (ARM 24.5.530) | 9/23/26 |
| Mathiason v. Montana State Fund | Petitioner’s Motion in Limine | 9/25/26 |
| Fievet v. FedEx Freight, Inc.
|
Petitioner’s Cross Motion for Summary Judgment | 10/2/26 |
| Burns v. Montana State Fund | Petitioner’s Motion for Sanctions for Spoilation of Evidence
|
10/9/26 |
| Glover v. Montana State Fund | Respondent’s Motion for Summary Judgment | 10/27/26 |
Upcoming Trials, Hearings & Conferences
No current Trial, Hearings, or Conferences Scheduled.
Montana Workers’ Compensation Stipulations Summary (week ending October 29, 2026)
PLAN 1
| Case Name | DOI | Body Part(s) | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Petitioner Attorney | Respondent Attorney |
| Jay Bonner v. IHC Health Services, Inc. | 8/22/24 | Back; head; | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $45,000.00 | Overturf, Lea
Odegaard Law Group, P.C. |
Potts, Adrianna
Potts Law PLLC |
| Bonnie Frye v. Montana Health Network WC Ins. Trust | 11/14/23; 8/17/19; 1/5/26; | Back; neck; | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $50,000.00 | Wallace, Lucas
Odegaard Law Group, P.C. |
Maynard, Joe
Crowley Fleck PLLP |
| Katherine Miller v. MUS Self-Funded Workers’ Compensation Program and Montana State Fund | 4/2/23 | Right knee, thoracic spine; left wrist and elbow; | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $20,000.00 |
PLAN 2
| Case Name | DOI | Body Part(s) | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Petitioner Attorney | Respondent Attorney |
| Joseph Freshment v. Sequoia Ins. Co. | 7/15/26 | Groin; | Full and Final – Disputed Initial Compensability | $12,500.00 | Dalpiaz, Leslae
Dalpiaz & Associates |
Maynard, Joe
Crowley Fleck PLLP |
| Ray Greninger v. Insurance Co. of the State of PA | 10/18/25 | Left arm and shoulder; | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $56,500.00 inclusive of $8,344.00 MSA | Murphy, Matthew
Murphy Law Firm |
Potts, Adrianna
Potts Law, PLLC |
| Bryan Krueger v. Clear Spring Property & Casualty Co. | 5/27/25 | Multiple; | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $100,000.00 | Overturf, Lea; Overturf, Greg
Odegaard Law Group, P.C. |
Smith, Charlie
Crowley Fleck PLLP |
| Caleb Zenahlik v. Technology Ins. Co. Inc. | 1/20/23 | Cervical spine; | Full and Final -Disputed Initial Compensability | $50,000.00 | Murphy, Tommy
Murphy Law Firm |
Harrington, Thomas
Laird Cowley, PLLC |
PLAN 3
| Case Name | DOI | Body Part(s) | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Petitioner Attorney | Respondent Attorney |
| Katherine Miller v. MUS Self-Funded Workers’ Compensation Program and Montana State Fund | 4/2/23 | Right knee, thoracic spine; left wrist and elbow; | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $20,000.00 | Miller, Megan
Fair Claim Lawyers |
Keller, Geoff
Matovich, Keller & Huso, P.C. for MUS |
| Kila Wolfe v. Montana State Fund | 2/26/25 | Low back; | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $10,000.00 | McKenna, Syd
McKenna & Starin Trial Lawyers, PLLC |
Meyer, Mark
Montana State Fund |
ESD Settlements Approved through October 23, 2026
PLAN 1
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Novich, Sam | 1/4/21 | Low back; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $24,900.00 | Murphy, Tommy |
| Wheeler, Derek | 3/9/24 | Soft tissue; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $10,000.00 | None |
PLAN 2
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Calvin, Diann | 1/15/18 | Hip; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $2,500.00 | Overturf, Greg |
| Ellis, Heidi | 8/14/25 | Low back; | Disputed Initial Compensability | $20,000.00 | Wallace, Lucas |
| Haaland, Randall | 2/15/25 | Shoulder(s); | Best Interests | $15,000.00 | None |
PLAN 3
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Anderson, Shane | 5/2/25 | Wrist; | Best Interests | $2,360.00 | None |
| Brown, Amanda | 3/5/26 | Upper back; | Disputed Initial Compensability | $1,730.00 | None |
| Carlon, Paul | 8/3/26 | Knee; | Best Interests | $600.00 | None |
| Erickson, Travis | 11/21/23 | Skull; | Best Interests | $2,100.00 | None |
| Ertel, Doug | 12/19/25 | Upper Back; | Disputed Initial Compensability | $3,870.00 | None |
| Harris, Joshua | 3/12/26 | Internal Organs; | Disputed Initial Compensability | $5,650.00 | None |
| Mackenzie, Dakota | 5/21/26 | Skull; | Best Interests | $8,500.00 | None |
| Richie, John | 10/19/21 | Soft tissue; | Best Interests | $60,000.00 | Bradford, R. Spencer |
| Sullivan, Steven | 9/8/21 | Elbow; | Best Interests | $90,000.00 | Schulke, J. Kim |
| Swanson, Patrick | 10/16/24 | Upper back; | Best Interests | $48,000.00 | Murphy, Matthew |
| Toomey, Mary | 4/1/26 | Low back; | Disputed Initial Compensability | $10,000.00 | Miller, Andrew |
UEF
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Hogan, Steve | 8/26/25 | Multiple lower extremities; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $15,000.00 | Overturf, Greg |
Key Insights for Montana Work Comp Professionals
- Summary Judgment Motions Dominate Pending Court Matters. Seven of the 12 listed motions involve summary judgment, including competing motions in Rutledge, Guitron, and Fievet. This concentration suggests that legal questions potentially dispositive of claims remain a significant focus of current Workers’ Compensation Court activity.
- WCC Settlement Values Show Considerable Variation. The eight distinct settlements reported across Plans 1–3 total $344,000, with an average of $43,000 and a range of $10,000 to $100,000. The $100,000 Krueger settlement is the largest reported, illustrating the substantial variation in negotiated claim values.
- Disputed Compensability Claims Continue to Generate Meaningful Settlements. Two WCC settlements involving disputed initial compensability totaled $62,500, including $50,000 in Zenahlik v. Technology Insurance. These outcomes demonstrate that disputed liability does not necessarily prevent substantial negotiated resolutions.
- ESD Plan 3 Settlements Exhibit a Wide Range of Values. The 11 reported Plan 3 settlements total $232,810, ranging from $600 to $90,000. The three largest settlements account for approximately 85% of the total, demonstrating how a relatively small number of higher-value claims can significantly influence aggregate settlement statistics.
- Attorney Representation Is Concentrated Among Higher-Value ESD Plan 3 Settlements. All four Plan 3 settlements exceeding $10,000 involved represented workers, while six of the seven settlements of $10,000 or less involved unrepresented workers. Although the sample is limited and does not establish causation, the pattern raises an important question about the relationship between representation, claim complexity, and settlement value.
