Montana Workers’ Compensation Court
NO PUBLISHED OPINIONS 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 |
| DesRosier v. MMIA
|
Respondent’s Motion for Summary Judgment | 5/4/26 |
| Crisler v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.
|
Respondent’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment | 5/11/26 |
| Crisler v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.
|
Respondent’s Motion in Limine | 5/11/26 |
| Glover v. Montana State Fund
|
Petitioner’s Motion in Limine | 5/11/26 |
| Parker / Leggitt v. Safeway
|
Respondent’s Motion for Summary Judgment | 5/12/26 |
| 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
|
| Crisler v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co.
|
Petitioner’s Counter-Motion for Summary Judgment | 5/21/26 |
| In the Matter of Jackson | Appointment of Benefits Administrator | 5/27/26 |
UPCOMING TRIALS, HEARINGS & CONFERENCES
| Issue | Matter | Date | Time | Place |
| Trial | McMaster v. Montana State Fund | 6/4/24 | 8:30 a.m. | Missoula |
Montana Workers’ Compensation Stipulations Summary (through May 28, 2026)
PLAN 2
| Case Name | DOI | Body Part(s) | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Petitioner Attorney | Respondent Attorney |
| Darren Beed v. New Hampshire Ins. Co. | 9/3/25 | Left shoulder | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $47,500.00 | Helmer, Chris
Clark Fork Law Offices, PC |
Potts, Adrianna
Potts Law PLLC |
| James Craig v. Employers Preferred Ins. Co. | 9/15/24 | Forehead | Full and Final – Disputed Initial Compensability | $42,500.00 | Lighthall, David
Carey Law Firm PC |
Smith, Charlie
Crowley Fleck PLLP |
| Mitchell Marsh v. Zurich American Ins. Co. | 8/28/24 | Left shoulder | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $80,000.00 | Evans, Alex
Glacier Law Firm |
Potts, Adrianna
Potts Law PLLC |
| Kolter Smith v. Safety Nat’l Cas. Corp. | 4/7/25 | Right wrist, hand, and forearm | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $24,500.00 | Kemmick, Hayley
Plath Kemmick Law |
Thorsgard, Kai
Potts, Adrianna Potts Law PLLC |
| Jasin Styles | 7/26/24 | Low back | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $75,000.00 | Dalpiaz, Miranda
Dalpiaz & Associates |
Maynard, Joe
Crowley Fleck PLLP |
PLAN 3
| Case Name | DOI | Body Part(s) | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Petitioner Attorney | Respondent Attorney |
| TJ Rice v. Montana State Fund | 4/23/25 | Not Identified | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $275,000.00 | Foust, Lucas
Foust Law Office |
Coate, Erik
Montana State Fund |
| Robert Vonada v. Montana State Fund | 5/21/19 | Back, ribs, face, hips, and pelvis | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $125,000.00 including an MSA of $62,235.16 | Doubek, John
Doubek, Pyfer & Storrar |
Wang, Haocheng
Montana State Fund |
ESD Settlements Approved through May 22, 2026
PLAN 1
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Goins, Julie | 10/4/24 | Hip | Best Interests | $30,000.00 | Helmer, Chris |
| Goins, Julie | 2/16/24 | Multiple lower extremities | Best Interests | $5,000.00 | Helmer, Chris |
| Miller, Debra | 4/4/22 | Ankle | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $10,000.00 | None |
| Reil, Joshua | 4/16/25 | Ankle | Best Interests | $4,000.00 | Dalpiaz, Leslae |
PLAN 2
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Baker, Randolph | 8/30/24 | Multiple lower extremities | Best Interests | $100,000.00 | Doggett, Michael |
| Blenker, Bob | 11/14/23 | Hip | Best Interests | $21,000.00 | Blackaby, Dean |
| McGaugh, Robert | 11/1/21 | Knee | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $100,000.00 | Tempel-St. John, Stacy |
PLAN 3
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Christiansen, Theresa | 12/15/23 | Soft tissue | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $156,000.00 | Tempel-St. John, Stacy |
| Danks, Linda Mae | 4/1/26 | Brain | Disputed Initial Compensability | $2,742.00 | None |
| Flores, Zehn | 9/16/25 | Knee | Best Interests | $1,000.00 | None |
| Garriot, Sandra | 7/24/24 | Low back | Best Interests | $4,000.00 | None |
| Hansen, Nicholas | 12/11/25 | Low back | Best Interests | $3,500.00 | None |
| Huffman, Lisa | 11/26/24 | Wrist | Best Interests | $7,100.00 | None |
| Lindemulder, Feliecia | 2/27/24 | Upper leg | Best Interests | $6,000.00 | None |
| Lisk, James | 9/25/25 | Knee | Best Interests | $3,100.00 | None |
| **Maksin, Michael | 7/14/24 | Low back | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Reserved | $66,000.00 | None |
| Rodriguez, Alfredo | 5/12/25 | Thumb | Best Interests | $3,860.00 | None |
| Silvan, Jeffrey | 10/3/25 | Facial bones | Best Interests | $6,500.00 | None |
| Welch, Linda | 12/24/25 | Upper back | Disputed Initial Compensability | $1,500.00 | None |
**Correction from last week’s brief. The settlement reported by the Employment Standards Division as $660,000.00, was actually $66,000.00.
Key Insights for Montana Work Comp Professionals
- Summary judgment activity remains unusually heavy in the WCC docket.
The current submitted matters list shows multiple pending summary judgment motions, including cross-motions in Rutledge v. Technology Insurance Co., competing motions in Crisler v. Zurich American Insurance Co., and separate motions in Guitron v. UEF. This suggests continued aggressive litigation over threshold legal issues before trial, particularly in compensability and coverage disputes. - “Medicals closed” settlements continue to dominate higher-value resolutions.
Nearly every significant Plan 2 and Plan 3 settlement reported this period involved full and final closure of medical benefits. Examples include TJ Rice v. Montana State Fund ($275,000), Mitchell Marsh v. Zurich American ($80,000), and Jasin Styles ($75,000). This reinforces the ongoing trend toward carriers seeking certainty and finality through complete medical closure. - Shoulder and low-back claims remain among the highest recurring settlement categories.
The stipulation summaries again show shoulder and lumbar spine injuries producing some of the larger settlements. Left shoulder claims resolved for $47,500 and $80,000, while low-back claims produced settlements ranging from $66,000 reserved-medical settlements to $75,000 full closures. This continues the long-standing Montana trend of elevated exposure associated with orthopedic spine and shoulder injuries. - Disputed initial compensability claims are still resolving for relatively modest amounts in ESD matters.
Several ESD settlements involving disputed initial compensability resolved at comparatively low values, including brain injury ($2,742), upper back ($1,500), and thumb injury ($3,860). This suggests carriers continue using modest compromise settlements to manage early-denial exposure where litigation costs may exceed claim value. - The report highlights the importance of carefully verifying settlement reporting data.
The publication specifically corrected a previously reported settlement amount from $660,000 to $66,000 in the Maksin For practitioners relying on settlement trend data for valuation, reserving, or mediation strategy, the correction is a reminder that published settlement summaries should be independently verified before being used as benchmarking data.
