Liability Reform Bills Prioritized and Signed in Montana

Another key civil justice reform bill was signed today by Governor Greg Gianforte (R), rounding out a successful year of legislation aimed at rebalancing the state’s courts.

Senate Bill 251, sponsored by Senator Cary Smith (R-Billings) and signed into law today, addresses artificially inflated damage amounts in civil trials, called phantom damages. These phantom damages occur any time lawsuit recoveries are calculated using the dollar amount a patient was billed for a medical service instead of the amount the patient, their insurer, Medicare, Medicaid, or workers’ compensation actually paid fo...