Justia Montana Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

This was an original proceeding brought to the Supreme Court on a certified question from a bankruptcy judge from the District of Montana. The question of law was whether, under Montana's liberal construction of exemptions, debtors may claim an exemption in a Yamaha four-wheel all-terrain vehicle (ATV) as a sporting good pursuant to Mont. Code Ann. 25-13-609(1). The Supreme Court accepted the certified question and answered that, under Montana law, debtors may not claim an exemption in a Yamaha four-wheel ATV as a sporting good because (1) an ATV is motor vehicle under Montana's motor vehicle code, (2) an ATV is subject to registration and title requirements that do not apply to firearms and sporting goods, and (3) since the Legislature provided a specific and separate exemption for a motor vehicle, it follows that the exemption for firearms and other sporting goods was not intended to include motor vehicles.