US District Court DMT Docket Feed

Lohrke v. American Family Connect Insurance

The United States District Court for the District of Montana denied Connect's renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law under Fed. R. Civ. P. 50(b), leaving intact a jury verdict awarding Richard Lohrke $500,000 in compensatory damages and $5,000,000 in punitive damages against American Family Connect Property and Casualty Insurance Company. The jury had found Connect liable for breach of contract, violations of the Montana Unfair Trade Practices Act (three provisions), constructive fraud, and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, with additional findings of actual malice or actual fraud in claims handling.

Solsrud v. Belt Valley Bank - TRO Denied

Plaintiff Brian K. Solsrud filed a Motion for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction to prevent Belt Valley Bank from holding its March 26, 2026 annual meeting until the court determined whether the Bank illegally issued 160 shares of stock to certain officers and whether competing Bylaws were properly adopted. Solsrud alleged the Bank violated Section 9.01 of its 2013 Bylaws by unilaterally amending shareholder voting requirements and issuing stock reserved exclusively for shareholders. The court applied the four-part Winter test—likely success on the merits, irreparable harm, balance of equities, and public interest—and found Solsrud failed to establish the requisite elements for a TRO.

Elder v. Shri Ganesh Yellowstone LLC — Corporate Defendants Ordered to Obtain Counsel by April 8, 2026

The United States District Court for the District of Montana granted Plaintiff Josh Elder's Request for Entry of Default against corporate defendants Shri Ganesh Yellowstone, LLC and Ganeshay Bozeman, LLC, after their counsel withdrew on December 1, 2025 and no new attorney appeared within ninety days. The court ordered the corporate defendants to obtain counsel and respond to Elder's Request for Default by April 8, 2026, warning that failure to do so will result in entry of default. The order cites the longstanding rule that corporations and unincorporated associations must appear through an attorney, as well as D. Mont. L.R. 83.3(b).