Wentz v. Montana Power Co.

928 P.2d 237, 280 Mont. 14, 53 State Rptr. 1277, 1996 Mont. LEXIS 252
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 26, 1996
Docket96-334
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 928 P.2d 237 (Wentz v. Montana Power Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wentz v. Montana Power Co., 928 P.2d 237, 280 Mont. 14, 53 State Rptr. 1277, 1996 Mont. LEXIS 252 (Mo. 1996).

Opinions

JUSTICE NELSON

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

This is an appeal from an order of the Thirteenth Judicial District Court, Yellowstone County, denying motions for change of venue filed by certain of the defendants. We affirm.

[16]*16FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

On November 3, 1995, Jean Wentz (Jean), plaintiff in the underlying action, filed her complaint in the Thirteenth Judicial District Court, Yellowstone County, alleging that on April 15, 1992, Gerald Wentz (Gerald) suffered a heart attack while on the job performing a welding test for North American Energy Services on the premises of Montana Power Company.

According to Jean’s complaint, Gerald was initially transported to the Colstrip Clinic (the Clinic) for treatment. She alleges that he was then transferred from the Clinic back into the Rosebud County EMS ambulance for transportation to Rosebud County Hospital in Forsyth for treatment that was unavailable at the Clinic. That trip was aborted, however, because of Gerald’s deteriorating condition, and he was returned to the Clinic.

Jean states that St. Vincent Hospital and Health Center in Billings, Yellowstone County, Montana (St. Vincent) was then contacted, and that its HELP helicopter was dispatched to the Clinic. Gerald was treated by the St. Vincent’s flight team, but was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at St. Vincent. Jean alleges that negligent medical treatment by the Clinic and defendants Rosebud County, William C. Anderson, M.D. (Dr. Anderson) and Carol Lands, P.A. (Lands) reduced Gerald’s chances for survival and caused his death on April 15,1992.

Jean’s complaint, filed in one count, claims damages of the type recoverable in a survivorship cause of action under § 27-1-501, MCA, and in a wrongful death action under § 27-1-513, MCA.

Dr. Anderson and Lands are residents of Rosebud County; the Clinic is located in Rosebud County; and Rosebud County operated the EMS ambulance that transported Gerald to, from and then back to the Clinic. Those defendants filed motions requesting that venue be changed to Rosebud County arguing that Yellowstone County was not a proper place for the trial of Jean’s suit. The District Court ruled that Jean had filed her complaint in a proper county and denied defendants’ motions. This appeal followed.

DISCUSSION

While each of the appellants and Jean frame the questions to be resolved in this appeal somewhat differently, the basic issue is whether the District Court erred in denying the requested change of venue on the facts of this case.

[17]*17Whether a county is a proper place for trial is a question of law involving the application of the venue statutes to pleaded facts. State v. Pegasus Gold Corp. (1995), 270 Mont. 32, 35, 889 P.2d 1197, 1199 (citing Minervino v. University of Montana (1993), 258 Mont. 493, 497, 853 P.2d 1242, 1245). Thus, our review of the trial court’s grant or denial of a motion for change of venue is plenary; we simply determine whether the court’s ruling was legally correct. Pegasus, 889 P.2d at 1199 (citing Carter v. Nye (1994), 266 Mont. 226, 228, 879 P.2d 729, 730). See also Gabriel v. School Dist. No. 4, Libby (1994), 264 Mont. 177, 179, 870 P.2d 1351, 1352; Emery v. Federated Foods, Inc. (1993), 262 Mont. 83, 87, 863 P.2d 426, 429.

In the instant case, noting that § 27-1-501, MCA, requires that survivorship and wrongful death actions be combined in one legal action, the District Corut relied primarily on our decision in Gabriel in rejecting appellants’ motions.

Dr. Anderson and, by adopting his arguments, Rosebud County, the Clinic and Lands, contend that Gabriel is not dispositive of the issue in this case. They base their arguments primarily on their interpretation of §§ 25-2-122 and 25-2-126, MCA. Section 25-2-122, MCA, provides in pertinent part:

Torts. (1) Except as provided in subsection (2), the proper place of trial for a tort action is:
(a) the county in which the defendants, or any of them, reside at the commencement of the action; or
(b) the county where the tort was committed. ...

Section 25-2-126, MCA, provides in pertinent part:

(2) The proper place of trial for an action against a county is that county unless such action is brought by a county, in which case any county not a party thereto is also a proper place of trial.
(3) The proper place of trial for an action against a political subdivision is in the county in which the claim arose or in any county where the political subdivision is located.

Before addressing those arguments, however, it is necessary that we discuss our decision in Gabriel. In Gabriel, decedent was injured and his survivorship action arose in Lincoln County when he fell from a roof while working on a construction project for a school district. His resulting death, however, occurred in Flathead County where he was taken for medical treatment. Plaintiff sued the school district in Flathead County premising venue on § 25-2-126(3), MCA, (a suit against a political subdivision is proper in the county where the claim [18]*18arose or where the political subdivision is located). Gabriel, 870 P.2d at 1352.

We agreed. We relied on Carroll v. W.R. Grace & Co. (1992), 252 Mont. 485,830 P.2d 1253, in concluding that since death is the critical and final element in the accrual of a wrongful death action, a wrongful death claim arises for venue purposes where the death occurs. Gabriel, 870 P.2d at 1352. Moreover, we determined that because § 27-1-501(2), MCA, requires that survivorship and wrongful death actions be combined in one legal action and that because, as to this combined action, venue would properly lie either where the survivor-ship claim or the wrongful death claim arose, plaintiff’s choice of a proper venue as to the wrongful death action — the county where death occurred — precluded a successful motion for change of venue to the county where the survivorship action arose. Gabriel, 870 P.2d at 1353 (citing Petersen v. Tucker (1987), 228 Mont. 393,396, 742 P.2d 483, 484-85). See also § 25-2-115, MCA.

Notwithstanding, on appeal, Dr. Anderson attempts to distinguish Gabriel in arguing that our decision in that case should not be followed. He contends Gabriel is of limited precedential value because that case involved a school district (a political subdivision) and a venue determination under § 25-2-126(3), MCA, which pertains to political subdivisions. Dr. Anderson maintains, that, to the contrary, no named defendant in the instant case is a “political subdivision” (we will address this contention later in this opinion).

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Wentz v. Montana Power Co.
928 P.2d 237 (Montana Supreme Court, 1996)

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Bluebook (online)
928 P.2d 237, 280 Mont. 14, 53 State Rptr. 1277, 1996 Mont. LEXIS 252, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wentz-v-montana-power-co-mont-1996.