Justia Montana Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

Jill Brenden appealed an order from the Eighteenth Judicial District Court, Gallatin County, which denied her claims against the estate of her late husband, Robert Brenden. Jill sought reimbursement for expenses and objected to the distribution and valuation of certain property in the estate. Barbara Jensen, Robert's sister and the appellee, sought attorney fees. Jill and Robert had a long-term relationship, cohabitated, and married in 2010. They purchased a home together in 2006 and later built another home on a property Robert inherited. Robert was diagnosed with cancer, which went into remission but later returned. Before his death, Robert designated Barbara as the Payable on Death (POD) beneficiary of his bank account.The District Court found that Jill converted funds from Robert's account after his death, despite her claim that Robert instructed her to transfer the funds before he died. The court admitted bank records as business records, which showed the transfers occurred after Robert's death. Jill continued to access the account and transferred funds to herself without notifying the estate. Barbara intervened in the probate action, filing a third-party complaint against Jill for wrongful conversion and deceit. Jill counterclaimed, alleging unjust enrichment and seeking a constructive trust over the proceeds from the sale of their jointly owned home.The Supreme Court of the State of Montana reviewed the case. It held that the District Court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the bank records as business records. The court affirmed the District Court's finding that Jill converted the funds in Robert's account, as Barbara became the rightful owner upon Robert's death. However, the court found that Jill was entitled to her share of the proceeds from the sale of their jointly owned home, held in a resulting trust. The court denied Barbara's request for attorney fees and remanded the case for further proceedings consistent with its opinion. View "In re Estate of Brenden" on Justia Law

Jesse Beck died in a motorcycle accident in Carbon County, Montana. Four days before his death, Jesse sent his brother, Jason Beck, a phone video in which he expressed his wish to leave all his possessions to Jason, explicitly excluding Christina Fontineau. Jesse's only child, Alexia Beck, was appointed as the personal representative of his estate. Jason later sought to probate the video as Jesse's will, arguing it should be considered a valid testamentary document.The Twenty-Second Judicial District Court of Carbon County denied Jason's petition, ruling that the video did not qualify as a "document or writing upon a document" under Montana Code Annotated § 72-2-523. The court reasoned that the statute's language implied a physical or digital document capable of being written upon and signed, which a video recording could not satisfy. The court also noted that even if a video could be considered a document in a general sense, it did not fit within the statutory context requiring a document to be written on.The Supreme Court of the State of Montana reviewed the case and affirmed the lower court's decision. The court held that the video recording did not meet the statutory requirements for a will under § 72-2-523, MCA. The court emphasized that the statute's language and structure clearly implied that a "document" must be a physical or digital file capable of being signed and witnessed, which a video recording could not fulfill. The court also noted that there was no legislative or judicial precedent for recognizing nonwritten, video wills under the Uniform Probate Code. Consequently, the court affirmed the denial of Jason's petition to probate the video as Jesse's will. View "In re Estate of Beck" on Justia Law

J.F.R., an 80-year-old individual diagnosed with cognitive impairments and dementia, lives with her daughter Stephanie in Montana. A dispute arose between Stephanie and J.F.R.'s other daughter, Jana, regarding J.F.R.'s care and financial management. Jana filed a petition for the appointment of both daughters as co-guardians and co-conservators, while J.F.R. supported Stephanie's appointment as sole guardian and conservator. The District Court initially appointed both daughters as temporary co-guardians and co-conservators but later vacated this order, directing the parties to proceed with discovery.The District Court of the Third Judicial District, Granite County, held a hearing and found substantial evidence of financial mismanagement and communication issues between the daughters. The court noted that J.F.R.'s assets were being depleted rapidly and that her current advisors were insufficient to protect her financial interests. Consequently, the court appointed the Western Montana Chapter for Prevention of Elder Abuse (Western) as J.F.R.'s temporary conservator and Western, Stephanie, and Jana as temporary co-guardians.The Supreme Court of the State of Montana reviewed the case and affirmed the District Court's decision. The court held that the District Court did not err in determining that J.F.R.'s welfare required immediate action, justifying the appointment of a temporary guardian and conservator. The court also found no abuse of discretion in appointing Western, despite the statutory order of priority, as the circumstances warranted a neutral third party. Additionally, the court ruled that Western's dual role as co-guardian and conservator did not violate statutory provisions, and the appointment of a neuropsychologist for evaluation was appropriate under the circumstances. View "In re J.F.R." on Justia Law

Lena Johnson and her daughter, Katherine Grundhauser, died in a car accident in 2006. They co-owned a property in Butte, Montana, as joint tenants with the right of survivorship. Lena's estate was informally probated, and her son, Kenneth Johnson, was appointed personal representative. The estate's assets were distributed among Johnson's children and three of Katherine's children, with the remainder going to Johnson and Katherine's husband, Steven Grundhauser. The property in question was not resolved, and Johnson's children lived there rent-free.In 2020, Lena's will was discovered, which stated that all property should be divided equally between Katherine and Johnson or held in trust for their children if they predeceased Lena. This will contradicted the earlier distribution and indicated that the joint ownership of the property was for convenience only. Katherine's children and Steven Grundhauser petitioned for informal probate of Lena's estate, which was denied. Formal probate was opened in 2021 with Johnson as the personal representative. A mediation in 2022 led to a settlement agreement to buy out the interests of Katherine's children in the property.The Second Judicial District Court, Butte-Silver Bow County, denied Katherine's estate's motion to intervene and for relief from judgment, finding that the estate was bound by the settlement agreement and that the doctrine of laches barred the motions. The court concluded that Grundhauser, as a petitioner, was aware of the settlement terms and had agreed to them.The Supreme Court of the State of Montana reversed and remanded the case. It held that Katherine's estate should have been allowed to intervene as it had a valid legal interest in the property. The court found that the settlement agreement was based on a mutual mistake of law and that the district court's order was void for lack of jurisdiction and due process. The court also held that the doctrine of laches did not apply, as the delay in asserting the estate's rights was reasonable under the circumstances. View "In re Estate of Johnson" on Justia Law

The case revolves around a dispute over a Major Land Use Permit issued to Susan Dietz, individually and as Trustee of G&M Trust (G&M), by Flathead County, Montana. G&M had purchased two adjacent 11.5-acre tracts on the shore of Lake Five and began several remodeling, demolition, and construction projects on both tracts. G&M received notices of multiple violations from both the Department of Environmental Quality and Flathead County, advising that these new structures violated local zoning regulations. G&M then submitted an application proposing new structures for short-term/vacation nightly rentals. The application was initially accepted by the County, who issued a Major Land Use Permit, later voided by the District Court.The District Court of the Eleventh Judicial District, Flathead County, voided the Major Land Use Permit issued to G&M, permanently enjoined all future construction or expansion of use or conversion of G&M’s property to any commercial use without first obtaining legal access and complying with all State and local statutes and regulations, ordered restoration of G&M’s property to its previously unaltered condition, and awarded attorney fees and costs to Friends of Lake Five, Inc. (FLF).The Supreme Court of the State of Montana affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded for further proceedings. The court affirmed the District Court's decision to void the Major Land Use Permit and its award of attorney fees and grant of permanent injunction. However, it reversed the District Court's requirement that G&M restore the property to its previous unaltered condition outside of the lakeshore zone. The case was remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. View "Friends of Lake 5 v. County Commission" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court of the State of Montana was presiding over a dispute regarding the reimbursement claim of Angela Mastrovito from the Estate of Rebekah Barsotti. Mastrovito, the mother of the deceased Rebekah Barsotti, had served as her court-appointed guardian after Rebekah went missing and was presumed dead following a reported drowning accident. Mastrovito filed a claim for $140,688.45 in expenses she allegedly incurred during her guardianship, including costs for rent, legal fees, meals, travel, and others. The claim was opposed by Rebekah's husband, David Barsotti, who was appointed as the personal representative of Rebekah's estate.The District Court denied Mastrovito's claim for three reasons: her appointment as a guardian was retroactively improper due to Rebekah's death, the claimed expenditures were unreasonable, and the claim lacked sufficient substantiation. Mastrovito appealed this decision, arguing that her appointment was not improper and that she was denied a fair hearing to present evidence in support of her claim.Upon review, the Supreme Court affirmed the District Court's denial of the claim. The court reasoned that even if Mastrovito's appointment was proper, she still failed to provide sufficient support for her claim. The court concluded that a hearing could not change the fact that Mastrovito's claim was facially insufficient. The court underscored the need for providing supporting evidence to determine the validity and reasonableness of claimed costs. View "In re Estate of Barsotti" on Justia Law

In this case, Lindsay Burns Barbier contested the validity of the 2016 will of her father, Horatio Burns, alleging that her brother Cameron and his wife Alison exerted undue influence over Horatio. The Supreme Court of the State of Montana upheld the validity of the will and the awarding of attorney fees to Horatio’s Estate, but reversed the awarding of attorney fees to Alison and the calculation of interest on the attorney fees. The court found that the lower court did not err in allowing Alison to file a response to Lindsay's petition contesting the will, despite Lindsay's objection that it was untimely and that Alison's interests were fully represented by the Estate. The court also found that Lindsay was not entitled to a new trial based on juror misconduct. In terms of attorney fees, the court determined that Alison was not entitled to an award of fees under state law as she was defending her own interest in the will and her participation was not required to defend the validity of the will. Finally, the court found that the lower court incorrectly calculated the applicable interest rate on the attorney fees awarded to the Estate. View "In re Burns" on Justia Law

In the Supreme Court of the State of Montana, a dispute arose over the distribution of a deceased person's estate, particularly a 1978 Ford pickup truck. The decedent was Ronald Glen Kemmer, who died intestate and was survived by his four adult children: Travis Kemmer, Becky Mastley, Collette Cole, and Ronda Gilge, referred to as the Heirs. Travis Kemmer served as the Personal Representative (PR) of the Estate. The Heirs could not agree on the disposition of the truck, and a conflict arose over whether a binding agreement had been reached and whether Travis Kemmer, as PR, had breached his fiduciary duties by not drafting a written agreement on the truck's distribution.The Court found that the PR was not obligated to draft a formal written agreement. The plain language of Montana's Uniform Probate Code (MUPC) requires a written contract executed by all successors to alter the amounts to which they are entitled under the laws of intestacy, and this requirement was not fulfilled in this case. The Court also held that the PR had no duty to piece together emails and texts to determine whether there was a meeting of the minds among successors or to take responsibility for putting any such agreement in writing.As such, the Court reversed the District Court's order that had concluded that the PR had a duty to draft a written agreement and remanded to the District Court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion. View "In re Estate of Kemmer" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the order of the district court denying Ryan Adamson's motion for relief and an order granting Sylvia Moody's petition for subsequent administration of the Estate of Victor Starkel, holding that the district court did not err by reopening the Estate pursuant to Mont. Code Ann. 72-3-1016.After Starkel died his daughter, Moody, filed for an informal testate probate. Eight years after the district court closed the Estate, Moody initiated this lawsuit against Adamson, with whom Starkel had entered into a written stock pledge agreement (SPA), claiming conversion, security fraud, and other claims. Adamson challenged Moody's standing on the basis that the Estate was closed. Moody subsequently petitioned to re-open the Estate and to be re-appointed as the personal representative. The district court granted the motion pursuant to Mont. Code Ann. 72-3-1016 and reopened the estate. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the district court did not abuse its discretion by reopening the Estate on the basis that the SPA constituted a subsequently discovered asset. View "In re Estate of Starkel" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court issuing an order awarding the Estate of Thomas Ronan the insurance proceeds of a house that was destroyed by fire, holding that the district court did not err.When Janet Le Ora Ronan died, she left a holographic will specifically devising her interest in a farm to Thomas "with him having preference to keeping the house [and] farmstead...." After the district court adopted a stipulated settlement agreement (SSA) setting forth the terms as to how to distribute the estate the house was destroyed in a fire. Thomas later died. Appellants had previously insured the house with Janet's estate as the insurance beneficiary, and the insurance company issued $169,089 for the house and $15,250 for personal property destroyed in the fire. The district court relied on the doctrine of equitable conversion to award Thomas's estate the insurance money. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the district court (1) did not err in distributing the insurance proceeds according to Montana residuary law or the SSA; and (2) did not err by relying on the doctrine of equitable conversion to distribute the insurance proceeds in furtherance of Janet's intent in specifically devising the house to Thomas. View "In re Estate of Ronan" on Justia Law