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 |
| 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 |
| 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.
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Petitioner’s Counter-Motion for Summary Judgment | 5/21/26
|
| Parker / Leggit v. Safeway | Petitioner’s Objection to Overbroad Discovery / Respondent’s Motion to Compel | 6/16/26 |
|
Wheeler v. Montana State Fund
|
Respondent’s Motion for Summary Judgment |
6/16/26 |
| Wheeler v. Montana State Fund
|
Petitioner’s Motion for Summary Judgment | 7/31/26 |
| Wheeler v. Montana State Fund | Petitioner’s Motion to Strike | 8/12/26 |
Upcoming Trials, Hearings & Conferences
| Date | Time | Place | Issue | Case |
| 9/9/26 | 10:00 am | Via Zoom | Perpetuation Deposition of Dr. Hyman
|
Krueger v. Clear Spring Prop. & Cas. Co.
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| 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 August 20, 2026)
PLAN 1
| Case Name | DOI | Body Part(s) | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Petitioner Attorney | Respondent Attorney |
| Ashley Huss v. Federal Express Corp. | 10/11/24; | Left shoulder; neck; | Full and Final – Disputed Initial Compensability | $35,000.00 | Overturf, Leanora
Odegaard Injury Lawyers |
Maynard, Joe
Crowley Fleck PLLP |
| David Seeley v. Federal Express Corp. | 7/17/24; | Left knee; | Full and Final – Disputed Initial Compensability | $50,000.00 | Braukmann, Matt
Rimrock Law, PLLC |
Smith, Charlie
Crowley Fleck PLLP |
PLAN 2
| Case Name | DOI | Body Part(s) | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Petitioner Attorney | Respondent Attorney |
| Robert Chief Stick v. American Liberty Ins. Co. | 10/27/25; | Knee | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $5,000.00 | Miller, Megan
Fair Claim Lawyers |
Maynard, Joe
Crowley Fleck PLLP |
| Kimberly Meyer v. State Nat’l Ins. Co. | 3/14/25; | Left shoulder; | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $22,500,99 | Rasmusson, Eric
Rasmusson Law Offices, PLLC |
Thorsford, Kai; Potts, Adrianna
Potts Law PLLC |
| Tammy Rogers v. Safety National Casualty Co. | 8/2/23; 7/13/24; 1/9/25; | Shoulder(s) | Full and Final – Medicals Closed |
$35,000.00 | Blackaby, Dean
Montana Work Comp Solutions |
Smith, Charlie
Crowley Fleck PLLP |
| Barry Six v. American Zurich Ins. Co. | 10/24/24; | Left shoulder; | Full and Final – Medicals Closed | $45,000.00 | Tourtlotte, Matt
Miller Tourtlotte Law PLLC |
Potts, Adrianna
Potts Law PLLC |
PLAN 3
| Case Name | DOI | Body Part(s) | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Petitioner Attorney | Respondent Attorney |
| Tyler Mullenbach v. Montana State Fund | 12/2/24; | Low back; | Full and Final -Medicals Reserved | $100,000.00 | Wallace, Lucas
Odegaard Law Group PC |
Wang, Haocheng
Montana State Fund Mediator: Jay Dufrechou |
ESD Settlements Approved through August 14, 2026
PLAN 1
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Brackett, Hunter | 2/19/25; | Multiple head; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $2,500.00 | Olson, Wayne |
| Huhn, Robert | 6/16/24; | Knee; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $50,000.00 | Carey, Steve |
| Morneau, Michelle | 5/27/26; | Multiple trunk; | Disputed Initial Compensability | $2,500.00 | None |
PLAN 2
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Jones, Diana | 12/19/25; | Upper arm; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $6,500.00 | Plath, Russell |
| Reynolds, David | 2/7/25; | Lower leg; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Reserved | $30,000.00 | Murphy, Tommy |
| Spencer, Jacob | 7/15/25; | Low back; | Best Interests | $23,000.00 | Brann, Aaron |
| Torgerson, Jason | 11/23/22; | Low back; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $10,000.00 | None |
PLAN 3
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Bergman, Curtis | 10/19/23; | Wrist; | Best Interests | $25,000.00 | Murphy, Matthew |
| Bradley, Michael | 5/17/24; | Knee | Best Interests | $8,510.17 | None |
| Coleman, Benjamin | 6/12/24; | Finger(s) | Best Interests | $175,000.00 | None |
| Dillenbeck, David | 8/10/05; | Low back; | Disputed Initial Compensability | $225,000.00 | Overturf, Greg |
| Elam, Amanda | 10/3/25; | Knee; | Best Interests | $2,300.00 | None |
| Hagan, Danyell | 6/13/26; | Skull; | Disputed Initial Compensability | $3,000.00 | None |
| Miccio, Mary | 6/18/24; | Multiple lower extremities; | Best Interests | $300,000.00 | McKeon, Jr., Michael |
| Miller, Maquinn | 9/10/25; | Facial bones; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed; | $3,525.00 | None |
| Nichols, Jadon | 6/6/25; | Soft tissue; | Disputed Initial Compensability; | $5,132.00 | Fletcher, Steve |
| Pacheco, Haden | 10/25/22; | Facial bones; | Petition for Settlement – Medicals Closed | $400,000.00 | Olson, Wayne |
| Perman, Thomas | 1/22/24; | Upper back; | Best Interests | $2,000.00 | None |
| Streit, Steven | 6/17/24; | Chest; | Best Interests | $7,850.00 | None |
| Stringer, Cody | 12/28/23; | Ankle; | Petition for Settlement – Single Issue | $7,500.00 | Blackaby, Dean |
| Venske, Mark | 8/28/24; | Upper back; | Best Interests | $1,750.00 | None |
Key Insights for Montana Work Comp Professionals
- Settlement values remain highly variable, even within similar injury categories.
The reported settlements range from $1,750 to $400,000, illustrating how poorly body part alone predicts claim value. Knee claims, for example, range from $2,300 to $50,000, while low-back claims range from $10,000 to $225,000. This reinforces the importance of compensability, medical exposure, disability duration, procedural posture, and the status of future medical benefits when evaluating settlement value. - Closing future medical benefits continues to be an important component of negotiated settlements.
Among the Workers’ Compensation Court stipulations, four of the seven reported settlements expressly involve medical closure, with values ranging from $5,000 to $45,000. By contrast, the sole reported Plan 3 WCC settlement with medicals reserved—Mullenbach v. Montana State Fund—settled for $100,000. The data underscores that the treatment history and projected future medical exposure remain critical components of settlement analysis. - Disputed compensability claims can still command substantial settlements—but the outcomes are extremely fact-dependent.
The report includes disputed initial compensability settlements as low as $2,500–$5,132, but Dillenbeck produced a $225,000 settlement despite disputed initial compensability. At the WCC level, the two reported disputed-compensability settlements were $35,000 and $50,000. The takeaway is that a compensability denial should not automatically be equated with low settlement value where medical, disability, or litigation exposure is significant. - A small number of large settlements account for much of the reported ESD settlement dollars.
The ESD data includes three particularly large settlements: $400,000 for a facial-bones claim, $300,000 for multiple lower-extremity injuries, and $225,000 for a low-back disputed-compensability claim. Those three settlements alone total $925,000. This concentration cautions against relying on a simple average settlement figure as a benchmark for an ordinary Montana claim; medians and injury/settlement-type comparisons would likely provide more useful valuation information. - The WCC docket shows substantial summary-judgment activity and relatively limited trial activity.
Although there were no new WCC decisions during the reporting period, the submitted-matters docket contains numerous competing or pending summary-judgment motions, including cross-motions in Rutledge, Crisler, and Wheeler. Meanwhile, the upcoming calendar is concentrated primarily in Krueger and Wheeler. For practitioners, this suggests that several potentially significant legal issues are positioned for resolution through dispositive motions before—or instead of—trial, making these cases worth monitoring for forthcoming precedential decisions.
