Mont. Power lawsuit finally goes to trial — in Jan. 2010

By John Grant Emeigh - 05/14/2008

Former employees who have been embroiled in a complex lawsuit with Montana Power Co. for the past decade will finally get a trial — but that’s still two years away.

District Judge Kurt Krueger set a trial date Tuesday for Jan. 11, 2010, in the lawsuit filed by past Montana Power employees. They are seeking workers’ compensation benefits they claim they were due from Montana Power.

Montana Power eventually went bankrupt and was bought by several entities, including NorthWestern Energy.

The plaintiffs include Herman Gonzales, Kenny Laudato, Gary Galetti, Greg Whiting, Marvin Krone and Lawrence Walker.

The lawsuit, which has been amended four times since it was first filed in 1998, and includes hundreds of pages and documents, alleges the company breached its contract with the former employees.

Lawyer Chris Ragar of Bozeman, who is representing the employees, said Tuesday he didn’t want to comment on the pending litigation without first consulting with his co-counsel.

Lawyers for both parties spent more than two hours in court Tuesday morning presenting motions.

— John Grant Emeigh, The Montana Standard