{"meta":{"key":"s_mt--pass-20","task":"S_MT","title":"SMT Bounded public-enforcement procedure, attorney-fee, and crosslink corrections","parent_title":"Montana debt and debt relief law","edition":"pass-20","path":"/research/s_mt--pass-20/","kind":"split_pass","category":"state","role":"state","area_numbers":[66],"groups":["collections"],"date":"2026-10-26","tables":9,"claims":14,"sources":12,"review_status":"MT7G5_resolved_with_limits","review_complete":true,"sha256":"dd723915cd20b51539d055031c0593fad869c7d2810f4990a948ca1ab79efaa2","headings":["Correction summary","Civil investigative demand and challenge procedure","Conditional CID workflow","Department investigatory powers, natural-person protection, and qualified nondisclosure","Conditional protection workflow","County-attorney assistance, requested initiation, and reporting","Separate Part 21 route","Conditional county-attorney workflow","A. Two distinct current fee provisions","Section 30-14-131(2)","Section 30-14-133(3)","B. Controlling private-action treatment","C. Correct bounded relationship","D. Part 21 remains separate","Fee-route matrix","Complete bounded criminal crosslink","Failed or not relied on","Freshly read","Preserved without re-adoption","Still unresolved"],"generation_provenance":{"actual_route":"regular_chat_adaptive_models","actual_model":"GPT-5.6 Sol","actual_mode":"Pro","provenance_limit":"Actual documented capture labels only; missing labels remain unknown. No preferred setting is inferred as actual execution."},"public_id":"S_MT/pass-20","facets":{"geography":["us","us-mt"],"debt_type":[],"stage":[],"subject":["fees-outcomes","provider-remedies"]},"scope":"Only MT7G5 public procedural/fee qualifications and crosslinks","pending_corrections":0},"markdown":"# S_MT PASS-20 — Bounded PASS-07 public-enforcement procedure, attorney-fee, and crosslink corrections\n\n**Fresh access date:** October 26, 2026, Pacific / October 26, 2026, UTC\n**Scope:** Only the five requested PASS-07 corrections. PASS-18 is not repeated or adopted. PASS-19 remains in its separate review queue and is not treated as accepted merely because it has been rendered.\n\nAll other PASS-07 findings, examples, claims, tables, source histories, and outstanding limitations remain unchanged.\n\n## Correction summary\n\n| Group | Determination | Effect on PASS-07 |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| **1. CID challenge deadline** | **Corrected.** The petition must be filed **before** the demand’s return date or within 20 days after service, whichever period is shorter. “By the return date” was imprecise because it could include the return date itself. | Replace the CID paragraph in E5 and replace C037. |\n| **2. Department powers and protections** | **Qualified.** Section 30-14-114 protects a **natural person** from compelled incriminating or penalty/forfeiture-producing evidence. Its disclosure restriction is qualified by necessary law-enforcement use in the public interest. | Expand C030; no blanket corporate privilege or absolute secrecy rule. |\n| **3. County-attorney route** | **Corrected.** Part 1 assistance and initiation depend on specified requests, and solo prosecution carries two 30-day reporting duties. Part 21 §2104 has separate direct authority. | Replace the county-attorney paragraph in E5 and the related coverage row. |\n| **4. Attorney fees** | **Qualified.** Section 131(2) uses mandatory fee language for a successful Part 1 action; §133(3) is the specific discretionary, capped private-action provision. Private MCPA decisions consistently apply §133(3). The exact outer reach and overlap of §131(2) remain unresolved. | Preserve C028, add a distinct §131 claim, and qualify C029/public-remedy coverage. |\n| **5. Crosslinks** | **Corrected.** C036, C038, C040, and C035 were linked to the wrong procedural propositions in the identified examples and coverage row. | Replace only the listed claim-reference cells. |\n\n# I. Exact replacement for the affected CID portion of PASS-07 E5\n\n### Civil investigative demand and challenge procedure\n\nThe Department may serve a written investigative demand on a person believed to possess relevant information, documentary material, or physical evidence. The demand may require a written report, testimony, or production at a reasonable stated time and place. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0130/0300-0140-0010-0130.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))\n\nA person seeking to extend the return date or modify or set aside the demand must petition:\n\n- **At any time before the return date stated in the demand; or**\n- **Within 20 days after the demand was served;**\n- **Whichever period is shorter.**\n\nThe petition must state good cause and must be filed in:\n\n- The District Court of the county where the served person resides;\n- The District Court of the county where the served person has a principal place of business; or\n- The District Court of Lewis and Clark County. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0130/0300-0140-0010-0130.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))\n\n“Before the return date” is not the same as “by the return date.” On the statutory text, the return date itself is not included in that branch. No actual deadline is calculated here because the service date, return date, service method, court-access facts, and any governing order are absent.\n\nSection 30-14-113(2) does not expressly say that filing the petition automatically suspends the demand, extends its return date, or stays enforcement. Any such effect would require an actual court order or controlling authority not established in this bounded pass.\n\n## Conditional CID workflow\n\n| Hypothetical relationship between the two periods | Controlling branch | Result |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Return date arrives before the twentieth day after service | Return-date branch | Petition must be filed **before** that return date. |\n| Twentieth day after service arrives before the return date | Twenty-day branch | Petition must be filed within the 20-day period. |\n| The two endpoints coincide | “Before return date” remains material | The statute should not be paraphrased as allowing filing on the return date. |\n| Petition merely states disagreement | Defective predicate | Section 113(2) requires a statement of **good cause**. |\n| Petition filed in an unrelated county | Venue problem | One of the three statutory District Court venues must be established. |\n\n# II. Exact replacement for the affected Department-authority portion of PASS-07 E5\n\n### Department investigatory powers, natural-person protection, and qualified nondisclosure\n\nTo carry out Part 1, the Department may:\n\n- Issue subpoenas to any person;\n- Administer an oath or affirmation to any person;\n- Conduct hearings in aid of an investigation or inquiry;\n- Prescribe forms; and\n- Adopt necessary rules having the force of law. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0140/0300-0140-0010-0140.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))\n\nThose powers may not be used to compel a **natural person** to furnish testimony or evidence that might tend to:\n\n- Incriminate that person; or\n- Subject that person to a penalty or forfeiture. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0140/0300-0140-0010-0140.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))\n\nThis is an actor- and evidence-specific protection. It does **not** textually establish:\n\n- A blanket privilege for a corporation, LLC, partnership, or other entity;\n- A rule that every business record held by a natural-person custodian is protected;\n- A complete act-of-production doctrine;\n- Immunity from every subpoena;\n- A substitute for any separately applicable constitutional, evidentiary, or attorney-client privilege.\n\nInformation obtained through these powers may not be made public or disclosed beyond what is necessary for law-enforcement purposes in the public interest. That is a qualified disclosure restriction—not a promise that the information can never be shared, used in a public enforcement filing, produced under court order, disclosed to another law-enforcement body, or addressed through a protective order. The statute does not comprehensively resolve public-records law, court sealing, interagency sharing, downstream evidentiary use, privilege logs, or remedial consequences for an improper disclosure. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0140/0300-0140-0010-0140.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))\n\n## Conditional protection workflow\n\n| Recipient or information | Section 114 result | Held questions |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Natural person asked for testimony tending to incriminate that person | Department may not use Part 1 powers to compel it | Whether another immunity, court order, or independent authority applies |\n| Natural person asked for evidence tending to expose that person to a penalty or forfeiture | Same statutory protection | Whether the tendency is sufficiently established |\n| Corporation served with records subpoena | No blanket corporate protection appears in §114 | Custodian rights, entity privileges, burden, relevance, and other law |\n| Natural-person custodian holding entity records | Not resolved merely by title or custody | Act-of-production and attribution issues |\n| Investigative material sought for public disclosure | Disclosure restricted | Whether disclosure is necessary for law enforcement in the public interest |\n| Information shared with another enforcement authority | Not categorically forbidden | Necessity, purpose, actual recipients, and other confidentiality law |\n\n# III. Exact replacement for the county-attorney portion of PASS-07 E5\n\n### County-attorney assistance, requested initiation, and reporting\n\nUnder Part 1, a county attorney has a duty to provide the Department the assistance that the **Department requests** in commencing and prosecuting Part 1 actions.\n\nA county attorney may independently initiate the available procedures and prosecute a Part 1 action “in the same manner” as the Department only **on request of**:\n\n- The Department; or\n- Another county attorney.\n\nIf the county attorney prosecutes the action alone, the county attorney must:\n\n1. Notify the Department of the nature of the action and the parties **within 30 days after filing**; and\n2. Report to the Department **within 30 days after final disposition**. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0210/0300-0140-0010-0210.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))\n\nThe request predicates must not be omitted. Section 30-14-121 does not say that every county attorney may initiate every Part 1 proceeding without a Department or county-attorney request.\n\n### Separate Part 21 route\n\nPart 21 contains its own direct enforcement authorization. The Attorney General or the county attorney of a county where:\n\n- The debt-settlement provider is doing business; or\n- A debtor resides,\n\nmay bring an action for violating §§30-14-2102 or 30-14-2103. That authority does not textually depend on the §30-14-121 request mechanism. The court may grant an injunction, restitution, and reasonable attorney fees and investigation/litigation costs. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0210/section_0040/0300-0140-0210-0040.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))\n\nAccordingly, the Part 1 request condition should not be imported mechanically into:\n\n- Part 21 enforcement;\n- Another statute containing its own county-attorney authorization; or\n- A private §30-14-133 consumer action.\n\n## Conditional county-attorney workflow\n\n| Route | Required initiating predicate | Reporting duty |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| County attorney assists Department under Part 1 | Department requests assistance | Section 121 does not state a separate filing report when Department leads |\n| County attorney initiates/prosecutes Part 1 action | Department or another county attorney requests it | If prosecuting alone, 30-day filing notice and 30-day final-disposition report |\n| County attorney brings Part 21 action | Provider doing business or debtor residing in that county | Section 2104 supplies direct authority; §121 request condition is not inserted |\n| Private consumer files under §133 | Consumer’s statutory predicates | Clerk—not the consumer—sends the complaint and judgment copies required by §133(2) |\n\n# IV. Exact replacement for the attorney-fee portion of PASS-07 G5/public-remedy analysis\n\n## A. Two distinct current fee provisions\n\n### Section 30-14-131(2)\n\nSection 131 is titled “Restoration — court orders.” It authorizes restoration, receivership, license revocation, and other equitable orders. Subsection (2) provides that the court **shall award reasonable attorney fees to the prevailing party for bringing a successful action under Part 1**. Its text contains no $250 hourly cap and no $100,000-recovery exclusion. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0310/0300-0140-0010-0310.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))\n\nThe clearest statutory fit is a successful Part 1 enforcement or restoration action invoking §131 relief. However, §131(2) does not expressly identify:\n\n- Whether only the Department or a county attorney can recover;\n- Whether a successful private §133 plaintiff may invoke it independently;\n- Whether a prevailing public-enforcement defendant can recover;\n- Whether “prevailing party for bringing a successful action” includes anyone other than the successful claimant;\n- How it interacts with the more specific private-action fee provision in §133(3).\n\nThose questions are not resolved by the statutory text alone.\n\n### Section 30-14-133(3)\n\nSection 133 creates the individual private consumer action. For **any action brought under §133**, subsection (3) provides that the court **may** award the prevailing party reasonable attorney fees, subject to all of these express conditions:\n\n- The award is discretionary;\n- No attorney fees may be awarded if the consumer recovers actual damages of $100,000 or more;\n- Fees are capped at $250 per hour; and\n- A self-represented person may receive fees at the judge’s discretion. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0330/0300-0140-0010-0330.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))\n\nThe 2025 amendment to §133 added and revised other language but retained subsection (3)’s discretionary private-action structure, $100,000 exclusion, and $250 hourly cap. [Montana Legislative Archive+1](https://archive.legmt.gov/content/Sessions/69th/Contractor_index/CH0199.pdf)\n\n## B. Controlling private-action treatment\n\nMontana private-action decisions apply §133(3):\n\n- ***Tripp v. Jeld-Wen*** treated private MCPA fees as discretionary under §133(3) and held that a prevailing defendant receives fees only if the consumer action was frivolous, unreasonable, or without foundation. The relevant discussion begins at printed page 12/PDF index 11 and continues through printed page 15/PDF index 14. [Justia Law+1](https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/2005-05-11-7ADC9013-C0FF-44C7-AEB3-8237629AE39B.pdf?ts=1462389392)\n- ***B Bar J Ranch v. Carlisle*** again applied §133(3) to a private MCPA action and the *Tripp* standard, at printed pages 7–9/PDF indices 6–8. [Justia Law+1](https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/da-12-0080.pdf?ts=1462390650)\n\nNo controlling Montana appellate decision located in this bounded search holds that §131(2) overrides §133(3), eliminates its $250 cap, eliminates its $100,000 bar, or converts private §133 attorney fees into a mandatory award.\n\n## C. Correct bounded relationship\n\nThe affected PASS-07 fee treatment should read:\n\nA successful Part 1 action may implicate §30-14-131(2)’s mandatory reasonable-fee language, particularly when the action proceeds through the public restoration or equitable-remedy route. A private consumer action brought under §30-14-133 remains governed by §133(3)’s specific discretionary fee provision, including its hourly cap and actual-damages exclusion, unless controlling authority establishes a different interaction. Sections 131 and 133 must not be merged into a universal mandatory-private-fee rule.\n\nIf public and private actions concerning the same conduct coexist:\n\n- The public action’s §131 fees;\n- The private action’s §133 fees;\n- Public restoration;\n- Private damages;\n- Costs; and\n- Any separate Part 20 or Part 21 fee authority\n\nmust be analyzed by actor, action, statutory basis, recovery, and actual order. This pass does not resolve fee allocation, duplication, common-fund treatment, double recovery, or accounting between separate proceedings.\n\n## D. Part 21 remains separate\n\nSection 30-14-2104 permits the court in a public Part 21 action to award reasonable attorney fees and the costs of investigating and litigating the violations. That provision is neither §131(2) nor §133(3), and its public-enforcement fee authorization should be cited directly rather than inferred from Part 1. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0210/section_0040/0300-0140-0210-0040.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))\n\n## Fee-route matrix\n\n| Action | Fee provision | Mandatory or discretionary text | Express limits | Remaining uncertainty |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Successful Part 1 restoration/equitable enforcement action | §30-14-131(2) | “Shall award” | No cap or $100,000 exclusion in §131 | Exact eligible prevailing party and outer reach |\n| Private individual consumer action | §30-14-133(3) | “May award” | No fees if actual damages ≥ $100,000; $250/hour cap; pro se discretion | Approved hours, rate up to cap, prevailing status, *Tripp* standard for defendant |\n| Public Part 21 action | §30-14-2104(1) | Court “may” award | Reasonable fees and investigation/litigation costs | Actual violation, actor, court order |\n| Part 20 express claim | Separate Part 20 provisions | Not resolved by §§131/133 alone | Claim-specific | Existing PASS-07 limitations remain |\n| Separate public and private actions | Separate provisions | Analyze independently | No automatic merger | Restoration/damages/fee accounting |\n\n# V. Exact claim-crosslink replacements\n\nThese are citation and claim-reference corrections only. They do not change the substantive examples beyond the described link.\n\n| PASS-07 location | Delete or correct | Replacement |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| **Example 4 — accounting, refunds, offsets, or double-recovery discussion** | Remove **C036** as accounting authority. C036 concerns MAPA judicial review. | Use existing **C008, C009, C012–C016, and C045**, plus §§30-14-131 and 30-14-133 only where the particular public-restoration or private-damages branch is actually implicated. |\n| **Example 6 — accounting, restitution, fee return, or overlap discussion** | Same correction: C036 is not the source. | Use **C008, C009, C012–C016, and C045**; add **S_MT-P20-C007/C008** only if the example actually addresses the public/private attorney-fee distinction. |\n| **Example 8 — relative 30-day MAPA judicial-review statement** | Remove the original **C033–C035** range as support for that deadline. | Link the MAPA point to existing **C036** and current §2-4-702(2)(a), which generally requires a petition within 30 days after service of the final written agency decision or, following rehearing, within 30 days after the written rehearing decision. Filing does not automatically stay agency enforcement. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0020/chapter_0040/part_0070/section_0020/0020-0040-0070-0020.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) |\n| **Example 9 — OCP complaint does not toll another deadline** | Remove **C040**. C040 is the CROA crosslink. | Use existing **C038** for the OCP/no-tolling proposition. PASS-20 does not re-adjudicate the underlying no-tolling claim. |\n| **Coverage row 50 — criminal route** | Remove **C035**. C035 concerns public-enforcement limitation periods, not criminal prosecution. | No verified original PASS-07 criminal claim ID was supplied, so none is invented. Use **S_MT-P20-C013** and the primary sources: §30-14-142(3) for the fraudulent-course/conviction sanction and §45-1-205(2)(b), (7), and (8) for the general one-year misdemeanor period, continuing-course rule, and commencement rule if misdemeanor classification is otherwise established. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0420/0300-0140-0010-0420.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) |\n\n### Complete bounded criminal crosslink\n\nThe criminal branch requires a **fraudulent course of conduct declared unlawful by §30-14-103** and a **conviction**. Section 30-14-142(3) then authorizes a fine up to $5,000, imprisonment up to one year, or both. It is not a criminal classification for every Part 1 violation. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0420/0300-0140-0010-0420.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))\n\nIf the offense is treated as a misdemeanor, the general criminal provision ordinarily requires commencement within one year after commission, unless another law provides otherwise. A continuing-course offense is committed when the course ends; time begins the next day. A prosecution begins when an indictment is found or an information or complaint is filed. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0450/chapter_0010/part_0020/section_0050/0450-0010-0020-0050.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com))\n\n# VI. Affected PASS-07 claim-cell replacements\n\n| PASS-20 claim ID | Relationship to original PASS-07 ID | Corrected or qualifying claim | Source, predicates, consequence, confidence |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| **S_MT-P20-C001** | **Replaces P7-C037** | A CID challenge petition must be filed **before** the stated return date or within 20 days after service, whichever is shorter; it must state good cause and use one of the specified District Court venues. | S001 §113(2). **High.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C002** | **Expands P7-C030** | Part 1 public investigation powers include subpoenas to any person, oaths, hearings, forms, and rules. | S002 §114. **High.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C003** | **Qualifies P7-C030** | Those powers may not compel a natural person to give testimony or evidence tending to incriminate or subject that person to a penalty or forfeiture. | S002 §114. **High; no blanket entity privilege.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C004** | **Qualifies P7-C030** | Investigative information may not be publicly disclosed beyond what is necessary for law-enforcement purposes in the public interest. This is qualified nondisclosure, not an absolute secrecy guarantee. | S002 §114. **High for text; public-records/court-use interaction held.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C005** | **Replaces county-attorney portion of P7-C030 and coverage** | Part 1 assistance requires a Department request; county-attorney initiation/prosecution requires a Department or another county-attorney request. Solo prosecution triggers two 30-day Department-reporting duties. | S003 §121. **High.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C006** | **Clarifies relationship to P7-C018** | Part 21 §2104 independently authorizes the Attorney General or a qualifying county attorney to sue; §121’s request predicate is not inserted into that text. | S006 §2104. **High.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C007** | **Adds qualification to P7-C029** | Section 131(2) uses mandatory reasonable-fee language for the prevailing party bringing a successful Part 1 action. Its exact eligible actor and overlap with §133 remain unresolved. | S004 §131(2). **High for text; partial for scope.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C008** | **Preserves P7-C028** | Private actions brought under §133 use the discretionary fee provision, $250/hour cap, no-fee rule when consumer actual damages are at least $100,000, and discretionary pro se provision. | S005 §133(3); S007. **High.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C009** | **Qualifies C007/C008 relationship** | Controlling private-action decisions apply §133(3); no controlling Montana appellate decision located here holds that §131(2) overrides §133(3)’s private-action limits. | S008 ¶¶32–38; S009 ¶¶17–22. **High for cases; bounded negative for unresolved overlap.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C010** | **Currentness qualification to P7-C028** | The 2025 amendment retained §133(3)’s discretionary private-fee language, cap, and $100,000 exclusion. | S007, printed pp.2–3/PDF indices 1–2. **High.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C011** | **Corrects Example 8 crosslink** | Existing C036—not C033–C035—is the PASS-07 claim link for the ordinary 30-day MAPA judicial-review point. | S010 §2-4-702(2). **High crosslink correction.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C012** | **Corrects Example 9 crosslink** | Existing C038 is the identified PASS-07 OCP/no-tolling claim; C040 remains the CROA claim. | Supplied immutable PASS-07 crosslink record. **High as an internal-reference correction only.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C013** | **Replaces coverage-row criminal support; no old claim ID invented** | The criminal route requires a fraudulent course of unlawful conduct and conviction under §142(3); general misdemeanor timing uses §45-1-205 if misdemeanor classification applies. | S011. **High for text; prosecution-specific facts held.** |\n| **S_MT-P20-C014** | **Corrects Examples 4 and 6 crosslinks** | Accounting, refund, offset, and double-recovery propositions should cite existing C008, C009, C012–C016, and C045—not C036. | Supplied immutable PASS-07 claim map. **High as internal-reference correction only.** |\n\n# VII. PASS-20 source register\n\n| Source ID | Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint | Version, status, access, and read bounds |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| **S_MT-P20-S001** | **MCA §30-14-113, Investigative demand**, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0130/0300-0140-0010-0130.html | **Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML**, accessed October 26, 2026 Pacific/UTC. Complete subsections (1)–(2) read. The printed MCA controls if the Internet version is inconsistent. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0130/0300-0140-0010-0130.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) |\n| **S_MT-P20-S002** | **MCA §30-14-114, Department authority**, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0140/0300-0140-0010-0140.html | **Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML.** Complete section read, including powers, natural-person protection, and disclosure restriction. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0140/0300-0140-0010-0140.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) |\n| **S_MT-P20-S003** | **MCA §30-14-121, Duties of county attorney**, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0210/0300-0140-0010-0210.html | **Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML.** Complete request predicates and both 30-day reporting clauses read. History identifies 2005 Ch. 280 amendment, but the current text—not a historical reconstruction—controls this correction. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0210/0300-0140-0010-0210.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) |\n| **S_MT-P20-S004** | **MCA §30-14-131, Restoration — court orders**, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0310/0300-0140-0010-0310.html | **Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML.** Complete subsections (1)–(3) read. Mandatory fee text verified; eligible-actor and §133-overlap questions remain unresolved. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0310/0300-0140-0010-0310.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) |\n| **S_MT-P20-S005** | **MCA §30-14-133, private damages and attorney fees**, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0330/0300-0140-0010-0330.html | **Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML.** Complete subsections (1)–(4) read, including private damages, clerk notices, fee limits, and prima-facie-evidence provision. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0330/0300-0140-0010-0330.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) |\n| **S_MT-P20-S006** | **MCA §30-14-2104, Part 21 remedies**, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0210/section_0040/0300-0140-0210-0040.html | **Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML.** Complete public-action, assurance, penalty, and debtor-remedy subsections read. Used only to distinguish the direct Part 21 county-attorney route. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0210/section_0040/0300-0140-0210-0040.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) |\n| **S_MT-P20-S007** | **2025 SB 488, Chapter 199**, Montana Legislature. https://archive.legmt.gov/content/Sessions/69th/Contractor_index/CH0199.pdf | **Fresh official enacted eight-page PDF.** Section 2 at printed p.2/PDF index 1; §133 subsection (3) at printed p.3/PDF index 2. Both pages visually inspected. The act amended §133 in 2025 while retaining its private fee language. [Montana Legislative Archive+1](https://archive.legmt.gov/content/Sessions/69th/Contractor_index/CH0199.pdf) |\n| **S_MT-P20-S008** | ***Tripp v. Jeld-Wen, Inc.*, 2005 MT 121**, Montana Supreme Court opinion reproduction. https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/2005-05-11-7ADC9013-C0FF-44C7-AEB3-8237629AE39B.pdf?ts=1462389392 | **Fresh complete 32-page opinion PDF read.** Fee issue at ¶¶31–38, printed pp.12–16/PDF indices 11–15; printed pp.12 and 15 visually inspected. Precedential private-action construction of §133(3). [Justia Law+1](https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/2005-05-11-7ADC9013-C0FF-44C7-AEB3-8237629AE39B.pdf?ts=1462389392) |\n| **S_MT-P20-S009** | ***B Bar J Ranch, LLC v. Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, Inc.*, 2012 MT 246**, Montana Supreme Court opinion reproduction. https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/da-12-0080.pdf?ts=1462390650 | **Fresh complete ten-page opinion PDF read.** Fee discussion at ¶¶16–22, printed pp.7–9/PDF indices 6–8; relevant pages visually inspected. Precedential application of §133(3) and *Tripp*. [Justia Law+1](https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/da-12-0080.pdf?ts=1462390650) |\n| **S_MT-P20-S010** | **MCA §2-4-702, initiating judicial review of contested cases**, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0020/chapter_0040/part_0070/section_0020/0020-0040-0070-0020.html | **Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML.** Complete relevant subsections (1)–(4) read. Used only for Example 8’s MAPA crosslink. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0020/chapter_0040/part_0070/section_0020/0020-0040-0070-0020.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) |\n| **S_MT-P20-S011** | **MCA §30-14-142 and MCA §45-1-205**, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0420/0300-0140-0010-0420.html; https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0450/chapter_0010/part_0020/section_0050/0450-0010-0020-0050.html | **Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML.** Section 142 read completely; §45-1-205(2)(b), (7), and (8) read for the bounded criminal-route crosslink. ([mca.legmt.gov](https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0420/0300-0140-0010-0420.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com)) |\n| **S_MT-P20-S012** | **Supplied immutable PASS-07 excerpts and claim map** | **Reused administrative provenance, not fresh legal authority.** Used only to identify Examples 4, 6, 8, 9, C028–C030, C035–C040, and the criminal-coverage row. No unseen PASS-07 text or local review packet was accessed. |\n\n### Failed or not relied on\n\n- A direct public fetch of the complete 2005 session-laws volume containing Chapter 280 timed out. The historical volume was not used to establish any operative PASS-20 conclusion.\n- No complete paid citator, trial-court order series, county-attorney file, Department CID, private response, fee petition, or public-records adjudication was reviewed.\n- No controlling Montana appellate decision squarely resolving the §131(2)/§133(3) overlap was located in the bounded search.\n\n# VIII. Coverage table\n\n| PASS-20 issue | Status | Claim IDs | Exact remaining evidence or next action |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| CID petition wording | **Answered and corrected** | C001 | Actual service and return dates; any court order |\n| CID “before” versus “by” | **Answered textually** | C001 | No controlling construction relaxing the word “before” was found |\n| CID good cause | **Answered as required predicate** | C001 | Actual grounds and proof |\n| CID venue | **Answered** | C001 | Residence, principal place of business, or Lewis and Clark filing |\n| Petition’s automatic stay effect | **Unresolved/no express stay found** | C001 | Controlling case, rule, or actual court order |\n| Department subpoena and hearing powers | **Answered** | C002 | Actual demand, relevance, burden, and enforcement |\n| Natural-person self-incrimination/penalty protection | **Answered textually** | C003 | Actual testimony/evidence and tendency |\n| Corporate privilege | **No blanket §114 protection** | C003 | Other constitutional, common-law, or evidentiary privileges |\n| Investigative confidentiality | **Answered as qualified** | C004 | Public-records, court-filing, interagency, and protective-order interaction |\n| Department-requested county assistance | **Answered** | C005 | Actual request and scope |\n| County-attorney initiation under Part 1 | **Answered** | C005 | Department or county-attorney request |\n| Solo county-attorney notice/report | **Answered** | C005 | Actual filing and final-disposition dates |\n| Part 21 county authority | **Answered separately** | C006 | Provider doing business or debtor residence |\n| §131 mandatory fee text | **Answered textually** | C007 | Successful action, prevailing party, eligible actor, reasonable amount |\n| §133 private fee route | **Answered and C028 retained** | C008–C010 | Actual recovery, prevailing status, hours, rate, discretion |\n| §131/§133 overlap | **Unresolved beyond bounded distinction** | C009 | Controlling Montana construction |\n| Public/private restoration and damage overlap | **Partial** | C007–C009 | Actual actions, orders, recipients, and accounting |\n| Part 21 attorney fees/costs | **Answered textually** | C006 | Actual public violation and court award |\n| Examples 4 and 6 claim links | **Corrected** | C014 | No substantive recomputation in PASS-20 |\n| Example 8 MAPA link | **Corrected** | C011 | Actual service/rehearing and court facts |\n| Example 9 OCP no-tolling link | **Corrected internally** | C012 | Underlying P7 proposition remains subject to its original limits |\n| Criminal coverage link | **Corrected without invented old ID** | C013 | Offense classification, facts, conviction, and commencement |\n| 2025 §133 amendment currentness | **Answered** | C010 | No comprehensive post-2025 special-session audit |\n| Actual CID, public action, fee application, or private case | **Not examined** | All | Entity- and case-specific records remain outside scope |\n\n# IX. Self-check and preserved holds\n\n## Freshly read\n\n- Complete current §§30-14-113, 114, 121, 131, 133, and 2104.\n- Complete current §2-4-702 provisions material to the MAPA crosslink.\n- Complete current §30-14-142 and relevant §45-1-205 timing clauses.\n- The enacted 2025 §133 amendment pages.\n- The relevant full-opinion portions of *Tripp* and *B Bar J Ranch*.\n\n## Preserved without re-adoption\n\n- PASS-19 remains a separately queued, unreviewed correction.\n- No PASS-18 judgment findings were used.\n- C028 remains supported; it is not declared erroneous.\n- P7’s broader restoration, receivership, injunction, limitation, provider-remedy, criminal, federal, and actual-provider holds remain.\n- No old claim ID was invented for the criminal-route replacement.\n- The supplied coordinator packet references were not accessed or represented as fresh research.\n\n## Still unresolved\n\n- Whether filing a CID petition stays the demand.\n- Complete constitutional and evidentiary privilege treatment.\n- Public-records and court-disclosure interaction with §114.\n- Exact eligible fee recipient and prevailing-party meaning under §131(2).\n- A controlling resolution of §131(2) versus §133(3) in a private action.\n- Fee overlap among public restoration, private damages, Part 20, and Part 21 proceedings.\n- Actual county-attorney requests, notices, fee awards, criminal charging decisions, and agency records.\n- Complete post-2025 amendment and paid-citator review.\n\nNo local write, filing, service, demand response, provider lookup, contact, record request, private-case access, independent-review conclusion, component acceptance, Montana acceptance, parent-dossier acceptance, A066 acceptance, operational approval, or publication-readiness determination occurred.\n\nEND S_MT PASS-20.\n\n","tables":[{"headers":["Group","Determination","Effect on PASS-07"],"index":0,"links":[],"row_links":[[],[],[],[],[],[]],"rows":[["Group","Determination","Effect on PASS-07"],["1. CID challenge deadline","Corrected. The petition must be filed before the demand’s return date or within 20 days after service, whichever period is shorter. “By the return date” was imprecise because it could include the return date itself.","Replace the CID paragraph in E5 and replace C037."],["2. Department powers and protections","Qualified. Section 30-14-114 protects a natural person from compelled incriminating or penalty/forfeiture-producing evidence. Its disclosure restriction is qualified by necessary law-enforcement use in the public interest.","Expand C030; no blanket corporate privilege or absolute secrecy rule."],["3. County-attorney route","Corrected. Part 1 assistance and initiation depend on specified requests, and solo prosecution carries two 30-day reporting duties. Part 21 §2104 has separate direct authority.","Replace the county-attorney paragraph in E5 and the related coverage row."],["4. Attorney fees","Qualified. Section 131(2) uses mandatory fee language for a successful Part 1 action; §133(3) is the specific discretionary, capped private-action provision. Private MCPA decisions consistently apply §133(3). The exact outer reach and overlap of §131(2) remain unresolved.","Preserve C028, add a distinct §131 claim, and qualify C029/public-remedy coverage."],["5. Crosslinks","Corrected. C036, C038, C040, and C035 were linked to the wrong procedural propositions in the identified examples and coverage row.","Replace only the listed claim-reference cells."]]},{"headers":["Hypothetical relationship between the two periods","Controlling branch","Result"],"index":1,"links":[],"row_links":[[],[],[],[],[],[]],"rows":[["Hypothetical relationship between the two periods","Controlling branch","Result"],["Return date arrives before the twentieth day after service","Return-date branch","Petition must be filed before that return date."],["Twentieth day after service arrives before the return date","Twenty-day branch","Petition must be filed within the 20-day period."],["The two endpoints coincide","“Before return date” remains material","The statute should not be paraphrased as allowing filing on the return date."],["Petition merely states disagreement","Defective predicate","Section 113(2) requires a statement of good cause."],["Petition filed in an unrelated county","Venue problem","One of the three statutory District Court venues must be established."]]},{"headers":["Recipient or information","Section 114 result","Held questions"],"index":2,"links":[],"row_links":[[],[],[],[],[],[],[]],"rows":[["Recipient or information","Section 114 result","Held questions"],["Natural person asked for testimony tending to incriminate that person","Department may not use Part 1 powers to compel it","Whether another immunity, court order, or independent authority applies"],["Natural person asked for evidence tending to expose that person to a penalty or forfeiture","Same statutory protection","Whether the tendency is sufficiently established"],["Corporation served with records subpoena","No blanket corporate protection appears in §114","Custodian rights, entity privileges, burden, relevance, and other law"],["Natural-person custodian holding entity records","Not resolved merely by title or custody","Act-of-production and attribution issues"],["Investigative material sought for public disclosure","Disclosure restricted","Whether disclosure is necessary for law enforcement in the public interest"],["Information shared with another enforcement authority","Not categorically forbidden","Necessity, purpose, actual recipients, and other confidentiality law"]]},{"headers":["Route","Required initiating predicate","Reporting duty"],"index":3,"links":[],"row_links":[[],[],[],[],[]],"rows":[["Route","Required initiating predicate","Reporting duty"],["County attorney assists Department under Part 1","Department requests assistance","Section 121 does not state a separate filing report when Department leads"],["County attorney initiates/prosecutes Part 1 action","Department or another county attorney requests it","If prosecuting alone, 30-day filing notice and 30-day final-disposition report"],["County attorney brings Part 21 action","Provider doing business or debtor residing in that county","Section 2104 supplies direct authority; §121 request condition is not inserted"],["Private consumer files under §133","Consumer’s statutory predicates","Clerk—not the consumer—sends the complaint and judgment copies required by §133(2)"]]},{"headers":["Action","Fee provision","Mandatory or discretionary text","Express limits","Remaining uncertainty"],"index":4,"links":[],"row_links":[[],[],[],[],[],[]],"rows":[["Action","Fee provision","Mandatory or discretionary text","Express limits","Remaining uncertainty"],["Successful Part 1 restoration/equitable enforcement action","§30-14-131(2)","“Shall award”","No cap or $100,000 exclusion in §131","Exact eligible prevailing party and outer reach"],["Private individual consumer action","§30-14-133(3)","“May award”","No fees if actual damages ≥ $100,000; $250/hour cap; pro se discretion","Approved hours, rate up to cap, prevailing status, Tripp standard for defendant"],["Public Part 21 action","§30-14-2104(1)","Court “may” award","Reasonable fees and investigation/litigation costs","Actual violation, actor, court order"],["Part 20 express claim","Separate Part 20 provisions","Not resolved by §§131/133 alone","Claim-specific","Existing PASS-07 limitations remain"],["Separate public and private actions","Separate provisions","Analyze independently","No automatic merger","Restoration/damages/fee accounting"]]},{"headers":["PASS-07 location","Delete or correct","Replacement"],"index":5,"links":[{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0020/chapter_0040/part_0070/section_0020/0020-0040-0070-0020.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"},{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0420/0300-0140-0010-0420.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"}],"row_links":[[],[],[],[{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0020/chapter_0040/part_0070/section_0020/0020-0040-0070-0020.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"}],[],[{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0420/0300-0140-0010-0420.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"}]],"rows":[["PASS-07 location","Delete or correct","Replacement"],["Example 4 — accounting, refunds, offsets, or double-recovery discussion","Remove C036 as accounting authority. C036 concerns MAPA judicial review.","Use existing C008, C009, C012–C016, and C045, plus §§30-14-131 and 30-14-133 only where the particular public-restoration or private-damages branch is actually implicated."],["Example 6 — accounting, restitution, fee return, or overlap discussion","Same correction: C036 is not the source.","Use C008, C009, C012–C016, and C045; add S_MT-P20-C007/C008 only if the example actually addresses the public/private attorney-fee distinction."],["Example 8 — relative 30-day MAPA judicial-review statement","Remove the original C033–C035 range as support for that deadline.","Link the MAPA point to existing C036 and current §2-4-702(2)(a), which generally requires a petition within 30 days after service of the final written agency decision or, following rehearing, within 30 days after the written rehearing decision. Filing does not automatically stay agency enforcement. (mca.legmt.gov)"],["Example 9 — OCP complaint does not toll another deadline","Remove C040. C040 is the CROA crosslink.","Use existing C038 for the OCP/no-tolling proposition. PASS-20 does not re-adjudicate the underlying no-tolling claim."],["Coverage row 50 — criminal route","Remove C035. C035 concerns public-enforcement limitation periods, not criminal prosecution.","No verified original PASS-07 criminal claim ID was supplied, so none is invented. Use S_MT-P20-C013 and the primary sources: §30-14-142(3) for the fraudulent-course/conviction sanction and §45-1-205(2)(b), (7), and (8) for the general one-year misdemeanor period, continuing-course rule, and commencement rule if misdemeanor classification is otherwise established. (mca.legmt.gov)"]]},{"headers":["PASS-20 claim ID","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID","Corrected or qualifying claim","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence"],"index":6,"links":[],"row_links":[[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[]],"rows":[["PASS-20 claim ID","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID","Corrected or qualifying claim","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence"],["S_MT-P20-C001","Replaces P7-C037","A CID challenge petition must be filed before the stated return date or within 20 days after service, whichever is shorter; it must state good cause and use one of the specified District Court venues.","S001 §113(2). High."],["S_MT-P20-C002","Expands P7-C030","Part 1 public investigation powers include subpoenas to any person, oaths, hearings, forms, and rules.","S002 §114. High."],["S_MT-P20-C003","Qualifies P7-C030","Those powers may not compel a natural person to give testimony or evidence tending to incriminate or subject that person to a penalty or forfeiture.","S002 §114. High; no blanket entity privilege."],["S_MT-P20-C004","Qualifies P7-C030","Investigative information may not be publicly disclosed beyond what is necessary for law-enforcement purposes in the public interest. This is qualified nondisclosure, not an absolute secrecy guarantee.","S002 §114. High for text; public-records/court-use interaction held."],["S_MT-P20-C005","Replaces county-attorney portion of P7-C030 and coverage","Part 1 assistance requires a Department request; county-attorney initiation/prosecution requires a Department or another county-attorney request. Solo prosecution triggers two 30-day Department-reporting duties.","S003 §121. High."],["S_MT-P20-C006","Clarifies relationship to P7-C018","Part 21 §2104 independently authorizes the Attorney General or a qualifying county attorney to sue; §121’s request predicate is not inserted into that text.","S006 §2104. High."],["S_MT-P20-C007","Adds qualification to P7-C029","Section 131(2) uses mandatory reasonable-fee language for the prevailing party bringing a successful Part 1 action. Its exact eligible actor and overlap with §133 remain unresolved.","S004 §131(2). High for text; partial for scope."],["S_MT-P20-C008","Preserves P7-C028","Private actions brought under §133 use the discretionary fee provision, $250/hour cap, no-fee rule when consumer actual damages are at least $100,000, and discretionary pro se provision.","S005 §133(3); S007. High."],["S_MT-P20-C009","Qualifies C007/C008 relationship","Controlling private-action decisions apply §133(3); no controlling Montana appellate decision located here holds that §131(2) overrides §133(3)’s private-action limits.","S008 ¶¶32–38; S009 ¶¶17–22. High for cases; bounded negative for unresolved overlap."],["S_MT-P20-C010","Currentness qualification to P7-C028","The 2025 amendment retained §133(3)’s discretionary private-fee language, cap, and $100,000 exclusion.","S007, printed pp.2–3/PDF indices 1–2. High."],["S_MT-P20-C011","Corrects Example 8 crosslink","Existing C036—not C033–C035—is the PASS-07 claim link for the ordinary 30-day MAPA judicial-review point.","S010 §2-4-702(2). High crosslink correction."],["S_MT-P20-C012","Corrects Example 9 crosslink","Existing C038 is the identified PASS-07 OCP/no-tolling claim; C040 remains the CROA claim.","Supplied immutable PASS-07 crosslink record. High as an internal-reference correction only."],["S_MT-P20-C013","Replaces coverage-row criminal support; no old claim ID invented","The criminal route requires a fraudulent course of unlawful conduct and conviction under §142(3); general misdemeanor timing uses §45-1-205 if misdemeanor classification applies.","S011. High for text; prosecution-specific facts held."],["S_MT-P20-C014","Corrects Examples 4 and 6 crosslinks","Accounting, refund, offset, and double-recovery propositions should cite existing C008, C009, C012–C016, and C045—not C036.","Supplied immutable PASS-07 claim map. High as internal-reference correction only."]]},{"headers":["Source ID","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint","Version, status, access, and read bounds"],"index":7,"links":[{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0130/0300-0140-0010-0130.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"},{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0140/0300-0140-0010-0140.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"},{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0210/0300-0140-0010-0210.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"},{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0310/0300-0140-0010-0310.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"},{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0330/0300-0140-0010-0330.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"},{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0210/section_0040/0300-0140-0210-0040.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"},{"href":"https://archive.legmt.gov/content/Sessions/69th/Contractor_index/CH0199.pdf","text":"Montana Legislative Archive\n+1"},{"href":"https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/2005-05-11-7ADC9013-C0FF-44C7-AEB3-8237629AE39B.pdf?ts=1462389392","text":"Justia Law\n+1"},{"href":"https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/da-12-0080.pdf?ts=1462390650","text":"Justia Law\n+1"},{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0020/chapter_0040/part_0070/section_0020/0020-0040-0070-0020.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"},{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0420/0300-0140-0010-0420.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"}],"row_links":[[],[{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0130/0300-0140-0010-0130.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"}],[{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0140/0300-0140-0010-0140.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"}],[{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0210/0300-0140-0010-0210.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"}],[{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0310/0300-0140-0010-0310.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"}],[{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0330/0300-0140-0010-0330.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"}],[{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0210/section_0040/0300-0140-0210-0040.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"}],[{"href":"https://archive.legmt.gov/content/Sessions/69th/Contractor_index/CH0199.pdf","text":"Montana Legislative Archive\n+1"}],[{"href":"https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/2005-05-11-7ADC9013-C0FF-44C7-AEB3-8237629AE39B.pdf?ts=1462389392","text":"Justia Law\n+1"}],[{"href":"https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/da-12-0080.pdf?ts=1462390650","text":"Justia Law\n+1"}],[{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0020/chapter_0040/part_0070/section_0020/0020-0040-0070-0020.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"}],[{"href":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0420/0300-0140-0010-0420.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com","text":"mca.legmt.gov"}],[]],"rows":[["Source ID","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint","Version, status, access, and read bounds"],["S_MT-P20-S001","MCA §30-14-113, Investigative demand, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0130/0300-0140-0010-0130.html","Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML, accessed October 26, 2026 Pacific/UTC. Complete subsections (1)–(2) read. The printed MCA controls if the Internet version is inconsistent. (mca.legmt.gov)"],["S_MT-P20-S002","MCA §30-14-114, Department authority, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0140/0300-0140-0010-0140.html","Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Complete section read, including powers, natural-person protection, and disclosure restriction. (mca.legmt.gov)"],["S_MT-P20-S003","MCA §30-14-121, Duties of county attorney, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0210/0300-0140-0010-0210.html","Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Complete request predicates and both 30-day reporting clauses read. History identifies 2005 Ch. 280 amendment, but the current text—not a historical reconstruction—controls this correction. (mca.legmt.gov)"],["S_MT-P20-S004","MCA §30-14-131, Restoration — court orders, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0310/0300-0140-0010-0310.html","Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Complete subsections (1)–(3) read. Mandatory fee text verified; eligible-actor and §133-overlap questions remain unresolved. (mca.legmt.gov)"],["S_MT-P20-S005","MCA §30-14-133, private damages and attorney fees, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0330/0300-0140-0010-0330.html","Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Complete subsections (1)–(4) read, including private damages, clerk notices, fee limits, and prima-facie-evidence provision. (mca.legmt.gov)"],["S_MT-P20-S006","MCA §30-14-2104, Part 21 remedies, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0210/section_0040/0300-0140-0210-0040.html","Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Complete public-action, assurance, penalty, and debtor-remedy subsections read. Used only to distinguish the direct Part 21 county-attorney route. (mca.legmt.gov)"],["S_MT-P20-S007","2025 SB 488, Chapter 199, Montana Legislature. https://archive.legmt.gov/content/Sessions/69th/Contractor_index/CH0199.pdf","Fresh official enacted eight-page PDF. Section 2 at printed p.2/PDF index 1; §133 subsection (3) at printed p.3/PDF index 2. Both pages visually inspected. The act amended §133 in 2025 while retaining its private fee language. \nMontana Legislative Archive\n+1"],["S_MT-P20-S008","Tripp v. Jeld-Wen, Inc., 2005 MT 121, Montana Supreme Court opinion reproduction. https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/2005-05-11-7ADC9013-C0FF-44C7-AEB3-8237629AE39B.pdf?ts=1462389392","Fresh complete 32-page opinion PDF read. Fee issue at ¶¶31–38, printed pp.12–16/PDF indices 11–15; printed pp.12 and 15 visually inspected. Precedential private-action construction of §133(3). \nJustia Law\n+1"],["S_MT-P20-S009","B Bar J Ranch, LLC v. Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, Inc., 2012 MT 246, Montana Supreme Court opinion reproduction. https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/da-12-0080.pdf?ts=1462390650","Fresh complete ten-page opinion PDF read. Fee discussion at ¶¶16–22, printed pp.7–9/PDF indices 6–8; relevant pages visually inspected. Precedential application of §133(3) and Tripp. \nJustia Law\n+1"],["S_MT-P20-S010","MCA §2-4-702, initiating judicial review of contested cases, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0020/chapter_0040/part_0070/section_0020/0020-0040-0070-0020.html","Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Complete relevant subsections (1)–(4) read. Used only for Example 8’s MAPA crosslink. (mca.legmt.gov)"],["S_MT-P20-S011","MCA §30-14-142 and MCA §45-1-205, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0420/0300-0140-0010-0420.html; https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0450/chapter_0010/part_0020/section_0050/0450-0010-0020-0050.html","Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Section 142 read completely; §45-1-205(2)(b), (7), and (8) read for the bounded criminal-route crosslink. (mca.legmt.gov)"],["S_MT-P20-S012","Supplied immutable PASS-07 excerpts and claim map","Reused administrative provenance, not fresh legal authority. Used only to identify Examples 4, 6, 8, 9, C028–C030, C035–C040, and the criminal-coverage row. No unseen PASS-07 text or local review packet was accessed."]]},{"headers":["PASS-20 issue","Status","Claim IDs","Exact remaining evidence or next action"],"index":8,"links":[],"row_links":[[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[],[]],"rows":[["PASS-20 issue","Status","Claim IDs","Exact remaining evidence or next action"],["CID petition wording","Answered and corrected","C001","Actual service and return dates; any court order"],["CID “before” versus “by”","Answered textually","C001","No controlling construction relaxing the word “before” was found"],["CID good cause","Answered as required predicate","C001","Actual grounds and proof"],["CID venue","Answered","C001","Residence, principal place of business, or Lewis and Clark filing"],["Petition’s automatic stay effect","Unresolved/no express stay found","C001","Controlling case, rule, or actual court order"],["Department subpoena and hearing powers","Answered","C002","Actual demand, relevance, burden, and enforcement"],["Natural-person self-incrimination/penalty protection","Answered textually","C003","Actual testimony/evidence and tendency"],["Corporate privilege","No blanket §114 protection","C003","Other constitutional, common-law, or evidentiary privileges"],["Investigative confidentiality","Answered as qualified","C004","Public-records, court-filing, interagency, and protective-order interaction"],["Department-requested county assistance","Answered","C005","Actual request and scope"],["County-attorney initiation under Part 1","Answered","C005","Department or county-attorney request"],["Solo county-attorney notice/report","Answered","C005","Actual filing and final-disposition dates"],["Part 21 county authority","Answered separately","C006","Provider doing business or debtor residence"],["§131 mandatory fee text","Answered textually","C007","Successful action, prevailing party, eligible actor, reasonable amount"],["§133 private fee route","Answered and C028 retained","C008–C010","Actual recovery, prevailing status, hours, rate, discretion"],["§131/§133 overlap","Unresolved beyond bounded distinction","C009","Controlling Montana construction"],["Public/private restoration and damage overlap","Partial","C007–C009","Actual actions, orders, recipients, and accounting"],["Part 21 attorney fees/costs","Answered textually","C006","Actual public violation and court award"],["Examples 4 and 6 claim links","Corrected","C014","No substantive recomputation in PASS-20"],["Example 8 MAPA link","Corrected","C011","Actual service/rehearing and court facts"],["Example 9 OCP no-tolling link","Corrected internally","C012","Underlying P7 proposition remains subject to its original limits"],["Criminal coverage link","Corrected without invented old ID","C013","Offense classification, facts, conviction, and commencement"],["2025 §133 amendment currentness","Answered","C010","No comprehensive post-2025 special-session audit"],["Actual CID, public action, fee application, or private case","Not examined","All","Entity- and case-specific records remain outside scope"]]}],"claims":[{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C001","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C001","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Replaces P7-C037","Corrected or qualifying claim":"A CID challenge petition must be filed before the stated return date or within 20 days after service, whichever is shorter; it must state good cause and use one of the specified District Court venues.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"S001 §113(2). High."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Textual support only; actualapplication remainsheld."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C002","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C002","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Expands P7-C030","Corrected or qualifying claim":"Part 1 public investigation powers include subpoenas to any person, oaths, hearings, forms, and rules.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"S002 §114. High."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Textual support only; actualapplication remainsheld."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C003","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C003","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Qualifies P7-C030","Corrected or qualifying claim":"Those powers may not compel a natural person to give testimony or evidence tending to incriminate or subject that person to a penalty or forfeiture.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"S002 §114. High; no blanket entity privilege."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Textual support only; actualapplication remainsheld."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C004","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C004","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Qualifies P7-C030","Corrected or qualifying claim":"Investigative information may not be publicly disclosed beyond what is necessary for law-enforcement purposes in the public interest. This is qualified nondisclosure, not an absolute secrecy guarantee.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"S002 §114. High for text; public-records/court-use interaction held."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Textual support only; actualapplication remainsheld."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C005","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C005","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Replaces county-attorney portion of P7-C030 and coverage","Corrected or qualifying claim":"Part 1 assistance requires a Department request; county-attorney initiation/prosecution requires a Department or another county-attorney request. Solo prosecution triggers two 30-day Department-reporting duties.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"S003 §121. High."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Textual support only; actualapplication remainsheld."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C006","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C006","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Clarifies relationship to P7-C018","Corrected or qualifying claim":"Part 21 §2104 independently authorizes the Attorney General or a qualifying county attorney to sue; §121’s request predicate is not inserted into that text.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"S006 §2104. High."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Textual support only; actualapplication remainsheld."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C007","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C007","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Adds qualification to P7-C029","Corrected or qualifying claim":"Section 131(2) uses mandatory reasonable-fee language for the prevailing party bringing a successful Part 1 action. Its exact eligible actor and overlap with §133 remain unresolved.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"S004 §131(2). High for text; partial for scope."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Mandatorytextverified;eligibleactor/131versus133overlapheld;no universalmandatoryprivatefee."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C008","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C008","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Preserves P7-C028","Corrected or qualifying claim":"Private actions brought under §133 use the discretionary fee provision, $250/hour cap, no-fee rule when consumer actual damages are at least $100,000, and discretionary pro se provision.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"S005 §133(3); S007. High."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Textual support only; actualapplication remainsheld."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C009","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C009","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Qualifies C007/C008 relationship","Corrected or qualifying claim":"Controlling private-action decisions apply §133(3); no controlling Montana appellate decision located here holds that §131(2) overrides §133(3)’s private-action limits.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"S008 ¶¶32–38; S009 ¶¶17–22. High for cases; bounded negative for unresolved overlap."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Actualhistoricalprivateopinionholdingssupported;boundednegativeabout131overlap notcompletecitatorproof."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C010","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C010","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Currentness qualification to P7-C028","Corrected or qualifying claim":"The 2025 amendment retained §133(3)’s discretionary private-fee language, cap, and $100,000 exclusion.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"S007, printed pp.2–3/PDF indices 1–2. High."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Current133andSB488actSec3parsedtextsupportretention;sourceS007Sec2locatorannotated."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C011","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C011","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Corrects Example 8 crosslink","Corrected or qualifying claim":"Existing C036—not C033–C035—is the PASS-07 claim link for the ordinary 30-day MAPA judicial-review point.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"S010 §2-4-702(2). High crosslink correction."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Internalcrosslinkchecked;underlyingP7holdspreserved. MAPArehearingrenderingtriggerdistinctfromservice."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C012","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C012","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Corrects Example 9 crosslink","Corrected or qualifying claim":"Existing C038 is the identified PASS-07 OCP/no-tolling claim; C040 remains the CROA claim.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"Supplied immutable PASS-07 crosslink record. High as an internal-reference correction only."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Internalcrosslinkchecked;underlyingP7holdspreserved. MAPArehearingrenderingtriggerdistinctfromservice."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C013","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C013","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Replaces coverage-row criminal support; no old claim ID invented","Corrected or qualifying claim":"The criminal route requires a fraudulent course of unlawful conduct and conviction under §142(3); general misdemeanor timing uses §45-1-205 if misdemeanor classification applies.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"S011. High for text; prosecution-specific facts held."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Criminalclassification/timingcasefactsheld;notallMCPAviolationscriminal."},{"claim_id":"S_MT-P20-C014","area_numbers":[66],"area_assignment_method":"task_scope_fallback","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 claim ID":"S_MT-P20-C014","Relationship to original PASS-07 ID":"Corrects Examples 4 and 6 crosslinks","Corrected or qualifying claim":"Accounting, refund, offset, and double-recovery propositions should cite existing C008, C009, C012–C016, and C045—not C036.","Source, predicates, consequence, confidence":"Supplied immutable PASS-07 claim map. High as internal-reference correction only."},"coordinator_verification_status":"supported_in_stated_textual_or_conditional_scope","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]","coordinator_limits":"Internalcrosslinkchecked;underlyingP7holdspreserved. MAPArehearingrenderingtriggerdistinctfromservice."}],"sources":[{"source_id":"S_MT-P20-S001","urls":["https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0130/0300-0140-0010-0130.html","https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0130/0300-0140-0010-0130.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_MT-P20-S001","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint":"MCA §30-14-113, Investigative demand, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0130/0300-0140-0010-0130.html","Version, status, access, and read bounds":"Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML, accessed October 26, 2026 Pacific/UTC. Complete subsections (1)–(2) read. The printed MCA controls if the Internet version is inconsistent. (mca.legmt.gov)"},"coordinator_verification_status":"checked_in_bounded_scope_with_limits","coordinator_access":"Fresh official MCA2025 complete113(1)–(2), packet1","coordinator_result_and_limits":"Before return date ORwithin20days afterservice,whichever shorter;goodcause andthreevenues. Noactualdate orautomaticstaydecision.","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_MT-P20-S002","urls":["https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0140/0300-0140-0010-0140.html","https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0140/0300-0140-0010-0140.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_MT-P20-S002","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint":"MCA §30-14-114, Department authority, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0140/0300-0140-0010-0140.html","Version, status, access, and read bounds":"Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Complete section read, including powers, natural-person protection, and disclosure restriction. (mca.legmt.gov)"},"coordinator_verification_status":"checked_in_bounded_scope_with_limits","coordinator_access":"Fresh official MCA2025 complete114, packet1","coordinator_result_and_limits":"Powers/naturalperson-incrimination-or-penalty protection/qualified law-enforcement publicinterestdisclosure supported. Entitycustodian/privilege/publicrecords/courtsealing application held.","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_MT-P20-S003","urls":["https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0210/0300-0140-0010-0210.html","https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0210/0300-0140-0010-0210.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_MT-P20-S003","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint":"MCA §30-14-121, Duties of county attorney, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0210/0300-0140-0010-0210.html","Version, status, access, and read bounds":"Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Complete request predicates and both 30-day reporting clauses read. History identifies 2005 Ch. 280 amendment, but the current text—not a historical reconstruction—controls this correction. (mca.legmt.gov)"},"coordinator_verification_status":"checked_in_bounded_scope_with_limits","coordinator_access":"Fresh official MCA2025 complete121, packet1","coordinator_result_and_limits":"Departmentrequestassistance;DepartmentORanothercountyrequestinitiation;solo30daysafterfiling and30daysafterfinaldisposition. Noactualrequest/notice verified.","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_MT-P20-S004","urls":["https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0310/0300-0140-0010-0310.html","https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0310/0300-0140-0010-0310.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_MT-P20-S004","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint":"MCA §30-14-131, Restoration — court orders, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0310/0300-0140-0010-0310.html","Version, status, access, and read bounds":"Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Complete subsections (1)–(3) read. Mandatory fee text verified; eligible-actor and §133-overlap questions remain unresolved. (mca.legmt.gov)"},"coordinator_verification_status":"checked_in_bounded_scope_with_limits","coordinator_access":"Fresh official MCA2025 complete131(1)–(3), packet1","coordinator_result_and_limits":"131(2)mandatoryreasonablefeetext;preciseeligibleactor/prevailingparty/private133interaction expressly unresolved. Public-route fit is bounded inference, not controlling holding.","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_MT-P20-S005","urls":["https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0330/0300-0140-0010-0330.html","https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0330/0300-0140-0010-0330.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_MT-P20-S005","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint":"MCA §30-14-133, private damages and attorney fees, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0330/0300-0140-0010-0330.html","Version, status, access, and read bounds":"Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Complete subsections (1)–(4) read, including private damages, clerk notices, fee limits, and prima-facie-evidence provision. (mca.legmt.gov)"},"coordinator_verification_status":"checked_in_bounded_scope_with_limits","coordinator_access":"Fresh official MCA2025 complete133(1)–(4), packet1","coordinator_result_and_limits":"Privatefee discretion/250hourcap/no feesactual>=100000/prose discretion. Actualrecovery/hours/partyqualification held.","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_MT-P20-S006","urls":["https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0210/section_0040/0300-0140-0210-0040.html","https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0210/section_0040/0300-0140-0210-0040.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_MT-P20-S006","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint":"MCA §30-14-2104, Part 21 remedies, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0210/section_0040/0300-0140-0210-0040.html","Version, status, access, and read bounds":"Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Complete public-action, assurance, penalty, and debtor-remedy subsections read. Used only to distinguish the direct Part 21 county-attorney route. (mca.legmt.gov)"},"coordinator_verification_status":"checked_in_bounded_scope_with_limits","coordinator_access":"Fresh official MCA2025 complete2104(1)–(3), packet1","coordinator_result_and_limits":"AGorqualifyingcountyattorneydirectPart21authority;mayfees/investigationlitigationcosts;do notimport121requestpredicate mechanically. Real jurisdiction/violation/order held.","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_MT-P20-S007","urls":["https://archive.legmt.gov/content/Sessions/69th/Contractor_index/CH0199.pdf"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_MT-P20-S007","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint":"2025 SB 488, Chapter 199, Montana Legislature. https://archive.legmt.gov/content/Sessions/69th/Contractor_index/CH0199.pdf","Version, status, access, and read bounds":"Fresh official enacted eight-page PDF. Section 2 at printed p.2/PDF index 1; §133 subsection (3) at printed p.3/PDF index 2. Both pages visually inspected. The act amended §133 in 2025 while retaining its private fee language. \nMontana Legislative Archive\n+1"},"coordinator_verification_status":"checked_in_bounded_scope_with_limits","coordinator_access":"Fresh official Chapter199/SB488 parsedPDF packet2/5, materialSec3printed2–3/PDF1–2","coordinator_result_and_limits":"Private133(3)fee language retained. SOURCE ANNOTATION: actSec3amends133,notSec2;Sec2amends111. Exactapprovaldate notexposed. Screenshotrequest6returnedreferenceonly,noactualpixels.","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_MT-P20-S008","urls":["https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/2005-05-11-7ADC9013-C0FF-44C7-AEB3-8237629AE39B.pdf?ts=1462389392"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_MT-P20-S008","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint":"Tripp v. Jeld-Wen, Inc., 2005 MT 121, Montana Supreme Court opinion reproduction. https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/2005-05-11-7ADC9013-C0FF-44C7-AEB3-8237629AE39B.pdf?ts=1462389392","Version, status, access, and read bounds":"Fresh complete 32-page opinion PDF read. Fee issue at ¶¶31–38, printed pp.12–16/PDF indices 11–15; printed pp.12 and 15 visually inspected. Precedential private-action construction of §133(3). \nJustia Law\n+1"},"coordinator_verification_status":"checked_in_bounded_scope_with_limits","coordinator_access":"ExactresearcherPDFtoolaccessfailed packet2. FreshactualTrippopinionHTMLreproductionFindLaw packet4/5;facts8–11,fee31–38read","coordinator_result_and_limits":"2005MT121 jurydefenseverdict;fees reversed/remanded forChristiansburgstandard. Actualmajority37notdissent;private133discretion/defendantheightenedstandard. ResearcherPDFpagecounts/visualaccessnotreplicated.","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_MT-P20-S009","urls":["https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/da-12-0080.pdf?ts=1462390650"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_MT-P20-S009","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint":"B Bar J Ranch, LLC v. Carlisle Wide Plank Floors, Inc., 2012 MT 246, Montana Supreme Court opinion reproduction. https://cases.justia.com/montana/supreme-court/da-12-0080.pdf?ts=1462390650","Version, status, access, and read bounds":"Fresh complete ten-page opinion PDF read. Fee discussion at ¶¶16–22, printed pp.7–9/PDF indices 6–8; relevant pages visually inspected. Precedential application of §133(3) and Tripp. \nJustia Law\n+1"},"coordinator_verification_status":"checked_in_bounded_scope_with_limits","coordinator_access":"ExactresearcherPDFtoolaccessfailed packet2. FreshactualBBarJopinionHTMLreproductionOpenJurist packet4;facts1–10,fees16–23read","coordinator_result_and_limits":"2012MT246 uphelddefendantfeeapplicationwhereconsumerstatusclaimunsupportedbyknownrecords;notmere loss/hindsight. Declinedadditionalappealfees22. Useactualopinionparagraphnumbers,notOpenJuristduplicatedanchorlabels. NohostGoodlaw/citatorbadgeadopted;PDFpagesnotreplicated.","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_MT-P20-S010","urls":["https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0020/chapter_0040/part_0070/section_0020/0020-0040-0070-0020.html","https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0020/chapter_0040/part_0070/section_0020/0020-0040-0070-0020.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_MT-P20-S010","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint":"MCA §2-4-702, initiating judicial review of contested cases, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0020/chapter_0040/part_0070/section_0020/0020-0040-0070-0020.html","Version, status, access, and read bounds":"Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Complete relevant subsections (1)–(4) read. Used only for Example 8’s MAPA crosslink. (mca.legmt.gov)"},"coordinator_verification_status":"checked_in_bounded_scope_with_limits","coordinator_access":"Fresh official complete2-4-702(1)–(4), packet2","coordinator_result_and_limits":"Ordinary30daysAFTERservicefinalwrittendecision;rehearing30daysAFTERwrittendecisionrendered;exceptions/venue/exhaustion/promptservice/stayqualification preserved. Notallagencyactionoractualcalendar.","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_MT-P20-S011","urls":["https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0420/0300-0140-0010-0420.html","https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0450/chapter_0010/part_0020/section_0050/0450-0010-0020-0050.html","https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0420/0300-0140-0010-0420.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com"],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_MT-P20-S011","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint":"MCA §30-14-142 and MCA §45-1-205, Montana Legislature. https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0300/chapter_0140/part_0010/section_0420/0300-0140-0010-0420.html; https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0450/chapter_0010/part_0020/section_0050/0450-0010-0020-0050.html","Version, status, access, and read bounds":"Fresh direct official MCA 2025 HTML. Section 142 read completely; §45-1-205(2)(b), (7), and (8) read for the bounded criminal-route crosslink. (mca.legmt.gov)"},"coordinator_verification_status":"checked_in_bounded_scope_with_limits","coordinator_access":"Fresh official complete30-14-142and45-1-205, packet2","coordinator_result_and_limits":"Fraudulentcourseandconviction142(3),5000max/oneyearmax;misdemeanorperiod205conditionalclassification;continuingcourseandcommencementclauses. Exactcharging/classification/tolling/factsheld.","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"},{"source_id":"S_MT-P20-S012","urls":[],"researcher_record":{"Source ID":"S_MT-P20-S012","Authority, issuer, full literal URL, and pinpoint":"Supplied immutable PASS-07 excerpts and claim map","Version, status, access, and read bounds":"Reused administrative provenance, not fresh legal authority. Used only to identify Examples 4, 6, 8, 9, C028–C030, C035–C040, and the criminal-coverage row. No unseen PASS-07 text or local review packet was accessed."},"coordinator_verification_status":"checked_in_bounded_scope_with_limits","coordinator_access":"Administrative originalP7claimstableandrawtextlocallychecked;notnewlegalauthority","coordinator_result_and_limits":"C036MAPA,C038boundedOCPnoestablishedtolling,C040CROA,C035publiclimitation;C008/9/12–16/45accountingconditionalcrosslinkmatches. P7underlyinglegalholdsremain.","coordinator_review":"[internal evidence reference]"}],"coverage":[{"topic":"CID petition wording","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"CID petition wording","Status":"Answered and corrected","Claim IDs":"C001","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Actual service and return dates; any court order"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"CID “before” versus “by”","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"CID “before” versus “by”","Status":"Answered textually","Claim IDs":"C001","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"No controlling construction relaxing the word “before” was found"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"CID good cause","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"CID good cause","Status":"Answered as required predicate","Claim IDs":"C001","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Actual grounds and proof"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"CID venue","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"CID venue","Status":"Answered","Claim IDs":"C001","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Residence, principal place of business, or Lewis and Clark filing"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Petition’s automatic stay effect","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Petition’s automatic stay effect","Status":"Unresolved/no express stay found","Claim IDs":"C001","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Controlling case, rule, or actual court order"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Department subpoena and hearing powers","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Department subpoena and hearing powers","Status":"Answered","Claim IDs":"C002","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Actual demand, relevance, burden, and enforcement"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Natural-person self-incrimination/penalty protection","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Natural-person self-incrimination/penalty protection","Status":"Answered textually","Claim IDs":"C003","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Actual testimony/evidence and tendency"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Corporate privilege","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Corporate privilege","Status":"No blanket §114 protection","Claim IDs":"C003","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Other constitutional, common-law, or evidentiary privileges"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Investigative confidentiality","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Investigative confidentiality","Status":"Answered as qualified","Claim IDs":"C004","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Public-records, court-filing, interagency, and protective-order interaction"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Department-requested county assistance","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Department-requested county assistance","Status":"Answered","Claim IDs":"C005","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Actual request and scope"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"County-attorney initiation under Part 1","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"County-attorney initiation under Part 1","Status":"Answered","Claim IDs":"C005","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Department or county-attorney request"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Solo county-attorney notice/report","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Solo county-attorney notice/report","Status":"Answered","Claim IDs":"C005","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Actual filing and final-disposition dates"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Part 21 county authority","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Part 21 county authority","Status":"Answered separately","Claim IDs":"C006","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Provider doing business or debtor residence"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"§131 mandatory fee text","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"§131 mandatory fee text","Status":"Answered textually","Claim IDs":"C007","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Successful action, prevailing party, eligible actor, reasonable amount"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"§133 private fee route","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"§133 private fee route","Status":"Answered and C028 retained","Claim IDs":"C008–C010","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Actual recovery, prevailing status, hours, rate, discretion"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"§131/§133 overlap","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"§131/§133 overlap","Status":"Unresolved beyond bounded distinction","Claim IDs":"C009","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Controlling Montana construction"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Public/private restoration and damage overlap","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Public/private restoration and damage overlap","Status":"Partial","Claim IDs":"C007–C009","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Actual actions, orders, recipients, and accounting"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Part 21 attorney fees/costs","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Part 21 attorney fees/costs","Status":"Answered textually","Claim IDs":"C006","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Actual public violation and court award"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Examples 4 and 6 claim links","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Examples 4 and 6 claim links","Status":"Corrected","Claim IDs":"C014","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"No substantive recomputation in PASS-20"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Example 8 MAPA link","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Example 8 MAPA link","Status":"Corrected","Claim IDs":"C011","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Actual service/rehearing and court facts"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Example 9 OCP no-tolling link","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Example 9 OCP no-tolling link","Status":"Corrected internally","Claim IDs":"C012","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Underlying P7 proposition remains subject to its original limits"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Criminal coverage link","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Criminal coverage link","Status":"Corrected without invented old ID","Claim IDs":"C013","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Offense classification, facts, conviction, and commencement"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"2025 §133 amendment currentness","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"2025 §133 amendment currentness","Status":"Answered","Claim IDs":"C010","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"No comprehensive post-2025 special-session audit"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"},{"topic":"Actual CID, public action, fee application, or private case","researcher_record":{"PASS-20 issue":"Actual CID, public action, fee application, or private case","Status":"Not examined","Claim IDs":"All","Exact remaining evidence or next action":"Entity- and case-specific records remain outside scope"},"coordinator_acceptance":"not_yet_reviewed"}],"annotations":{},"corrections":[],"resolved_corrections":[],"review_history":[]}