Montana Workers’ Compensation Court
No new enumerated decisions this period.
Montana Workers’ Compensation Stipulations Summary (through Nov. 27, 2025)
PLAN 1
No approved stipulations for Plan 1 carriers.
PLAN 2
| Case Name | DOI | Body Part(s) | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Petitioner Attorney | Respondent
Attorney |
| Traci Carnes v. AIU Insurance Co. | 11/15/20 | Right Foot | Full and Final Settlement w/ MSA | $95,000 w/
$19,850 MSA |
Greg Overturf
Odegaard Law Group, PC |
Adrianna Potts
Potts Law PLLC |
| Jason Hill v. Zurich American Ins. Co. | 8/17/24 | Upper Back | Full and Final Settlement | $3,500 | Alex Evans
Glacier Law Group |
Kai Thorsgard
Adrianna Potts Potts Law PLLC |
| Tachini Pete v. AIU Insurance Co. | 12/20/22 | Back | Full and Final Settlement | $130,000 | Tommy Murphy
Murphy Law Firm |
Adrianna Potts
Potts Law PLLC |
| Justin Sullivan v. Victory Ins. Co. | 11/15/23 | Shoulder | Full and Final Settlement | 10,000 | Leslae Dalpiaz
Dalpiaz & Associates |
Joe Maynard
Crowley Fleck PLLP |
| Jimmy Varos v. Starstone National Ins. Co. | 10/22/24 | Lungs | Disputed Initial Compensability | $27,500 | Russ Plath
Plath Kemmick, LLC |
Thomas Harrington
Laird Cowley, PLLC |
PLAN 3
| Case Name | DOI | Body Part(s) | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Petitioner Attorney | Respondent Attorney |
| Patricia Ruff v. Montana State Fund | 11/24/23;
5/8/25 |
Right Elbow/Shoudler;
Left Hand |
Full and Final Settlement | 12,000 | Russ Plath
Plath Kemmick, LLC |
Mark Meyer,
Montana State Fund |
| Jerel Thompson v. Montana State Fund | 10/22/24 | Right Shoulder | Full and Final Settlement | 55,000 | Tommy Murphy
Murphy Law Firm |
Erik Coate,
Montana State Fund |
ESD Settlements Approved through 11-17-25
Plan 1
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Muus, Jeremy S | 7/1/2024 | Knee | Other – Single Issue Settlement | $5,000.00 | MACKAY, THOMAS |
| Schauers, Loren N | 9/27/2019 | Multiple body parts (including systems) | Petition for Settlement – Medical Reserved | $75,000.00 | DUCKWORTH, KIEL |
| Bell, Carl | 1/6/2024 | Lower back area | Petition for Best Interest | $3,500.00 |
Plan 2
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Litton, Isak | 10/11/2025 | Internal organs | Disputed Initial Compensability | $5,000.00 | BLACKABY, DEAN |
| Silva, Rosa | 8/25/2022 | Lower back area | Petition for Settlement – Medical Closed | $75,000.00 | TEMPEL-ST JOHN, STACY |
| Smith, Donna E | 9/8/2023 | Lower back area | Petition for Best Interest | $50,000.00 | DALPIAZ, LESLAE |
| Peterson, Cole D | 2/3/2022 | Elbow | Petition for Settlement – Medical Closed | $49,518.00 | |
| Queen, Lianne | 7/9/2024 | Chest | Petition for Best Interest | $7,000.00 |
Plan 3
| Claimant Name | DOI | Body Part | Settlement Type | Settlement Amount | Attorney Name |
| Chaffin, Payden J | 4/17/2024 | Wrist | Disputed Initial Compensability | $7,520.00 | DALPIAZ, MIRANDA |
| Chaffin, Payden J | 5/30/2023 | Elbow | Petition for Best Interest | $10,480.00 | DALPIAZ, MIRANDA |
| Cooper, Ryan S | 8/6/2025 | Foot | Disputed Initial Compensability | $6,000.00 | OVERTURF, LEA |
| Henry, James A | 7/26/2024 | Upper back area | Petition for Best Interest | $58,000.00 | DALPIAZ, LESLAE |
| Soerenson, Cain | 3/21/2023 | Skull | Petition for Settlement – Medical Closed | $55,000.00 | JONES, BRADLEY |
| Watson, Shane W | 3/25/2021 | Hand | Disputed Permanent Total – Medical Reserved | $175,000.00 | HAYNES, MICHAEL |
| Case, Andrew | 3/24/2025 | Elbow | Petition for Best Interest | $4,100.00 | |
| Cox, Liam C | 12/27/2024 | Chest | Petition for Best Interest | $1,000.00 | |
| Gonzalez, Edgar | 9/26/2025 | Lower back area | Disputed Initial Compensability | $6,500.00 | |
| Irgang, Angela J | 7/14/2025 | Internal organs | Disputed Initial Compensability | $3,150.00 | |
| Montoya, Rogelio | 10/25/2024 | Finger(s) | Petition for Best Interest | $825.00 | |
| Smith, Patricia J | 1/1/2025 | Internal organs | Disputed Initial Compensability | $1,900.00 | |
| Storlie, Curt | 5/5/2025 | Lower back area | Disputed Initial Compensability | $450.00 | |
| Weldon, Michael J | 6/15/2023 | Lower back area | Petition for Best Interest | $13,150.00 |
5 Key Insights for Montana Work Comp Professionals
-
Potts Law PLLC is dominating Plan 2 defense representation
In the Plan 2 stipulations, Adrianna Potts appears as defense counsel in 4 of 5 cases, signaling that Potts Law has become a central player in Plan 2 settlements and carrier representation. This suggests a consolidation of defense work among certain firms and may influence negotiation expectations.
-
High-value full and final settlements are concentrated in back injuries
The largest settlements reported—$130,000 (Pete v. AIU) and $95,000 w/ $19,850 MSA (Carnes v. AIU)—both involve spine or lower-extremity injuries. This is consistent with historical Montana WC data showing back and multi-level spine injuries drive the highest indemnity exposure.
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Plan 1 continues to show very low stipulation activity
No Plan 1 stipulations approved with the WCC were reported, and only three ESD settlements are listed for Plan 1—an ongoing trend indicating Plan 1 employers infrequently pursue court-approved settlements and more often resolve disputes administratively.
-
A noticeable rise in “disputed initial compensability” settlements
Across Plans 2 and 3, there are multiple low-to-mid-value settlements where compensability is contested—several in the $3,000–$7,500 range. This signals that insurers and claimants are increasingly using early, modest settlements to resolve threshold-liability disputes rather than proceeding to litigation, especially for internal organ, chest, and back injury claims.
-
ESD settlements for Plan 3 show wide variability—from $450 to $175,000
The range of settlement values in Plan 3 is unusually broad, from $450 (Storlie) to $175,000 (Watson). This reflects:
- Highly diverse injury profiles (skull, internal organs, elbow, lower back, hand).
- Frequent use of “Petition for Best Interest” for modest medical or indemnity closure.
- Large outlier values in PTD-related or medically complex cases.
This underscores Plan 3’s broader risk distribution, driven largely by Montana State Fund’s mixed claim portfolio.
