PRETRIAL/TRIAL DATES AND PETITION DEADLINES

*See News Alerts re moving Trail Weeks*

The petition deadline is the date the petition must be received by the Court.

The Court allows electronic filing of petitions, which are filed on the date received.  The original petition, which must be filed with the Court within 5 days after the electronic petition is received (ARM 24.5.303(2)(c); ARM 24.5.320(1)(c)), must be received by the petition deadline for the matter to be scheduled on the upcoming trial calendar.

If the Court receives the electronically filed petition before the petition deadline, but receives the original petition after the petition deadline, Court staff will issue a scheduled order setting the matter on the next trial term.

To generally determine Venue in a matter, the Court has designated six cities to hold trial.  For scheduling purposes, the principal city of the counties listed below establish the Venue as follows:

(a) Kalispell area:  (i) Flathead and Lincoln.

(b) Missoula area:  (i) Lake, Mineral, Missoula, Ravalli, and Sanders.

(c) Butte area:  (i) Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, Granite, Jefferson, Madison, Powell, Silver Bow, Gallatin, Park, Sweet Grass, and Wheatland.

(d) Billings area: (i) Big Horn, Carbon, Golden Valley, Musselshell, Petroleum, Stillwater, Treasure, Yellowstone, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, McCone, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Wibaux, Daniels, Garfield, Phillips, Roosevelt, Sheridan, and Valley.

(e) Great Falls area: (i) Blaine, Cascade, Chouteau, Fergus, Glacier, Hill, Judith Basin, Liberty, Pondera, Teton, and Toole.

(f) Helena area:  (i) Broadwater, Lewis and Clark, and Meagher

Upon agreement of the parties and consent of the Court, or upon an order of the Court, the Court may hold a trial at any time and any place. The Court attempts to accommodate parties' requests for special trial settings; however, the Court reserves the discretion to determine the time and place of all trials.

See ARM 24.5.310 TIME AND PLACE OF TRIAL GENERALLY