Legal Opinion
Watson v. West
Montana Supreme Court
Decided October 20, 2009No. DA 08-0640PublishedCited by 11 opinions
1Opinion of the CourtJustice Cotter
¶1 Devra West appeals the Twenty-First Judicial District Court’s imposition of a default as a sanction under M. R. Civ. P. 16(f) (Rule 16(f)) and its award of damages to John Watson. We affirm in part and vacate and remand in part.
ISSUES
¶2 A restatement of the issues on appeal is:
¶3 Did the District Court abuse its discretion by striking, as a sanction, West’s answer to Watson’s complaint and entering a default judgment in favor of Watson?
¶4 Did the District Court err in awarding $730,000 in damages to Watson?
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
¶5 John Watson and Devra West have been litigating…
2Cases cited11 opinions
- McKenzie v. ScheelerMontana Supreme Court · 1997
- Germann v. StephensMontana Supreme Court · 2006
- Johnson v. MurrayMontana Supreme Court · 1982
- Stevenson v. Felco Industries, Inc.Montana Supreme Court · 2009
- Vermeer of Washington, Inc. v. JonesMontana Supreme Court · 2004
6 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.
3Cited by11 opinions
- Boyne USA, Inc. v. Spanish Peaks Development, LLCMontana Supreme Court · 2013
- Jacobson v. Bayview Loan Servicing, LLCMontana Supreme Court · 2016
- Kraft v. HIGH COUNTRY MOTORS, INC.Montana Supreme Court · 2012
- Lewistown Miller Construction Co. v. MartinMontana Supreme Court · 2011
- Serrania v. LPH, Inc.Montana Supreme Court · 2015
6 more not listed; retrieve them via the Exa API.