Montana Supreme Court

M. Benton v. S. Babcock

December 2, 20252025 MT 277

Summary

The Montana Supreme Court affirmed the district court’s grant of summary judgment, holding that Benton’s professional negligence claims are barred by collateral estoppel because the identical issues were previously adjudicated in a federal criminal proceeding. The Court applied the four‑element test for issue preclusion and found all elements satisfied.