Montana Code Annotated 2003

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     70-19-202. Abuse of property held jointly or in common -- action -- mining property. If any person shall assume and exercise exclusive ownership over or take away, destroy, lessen in value, or otherwise injure or abuse any property held in joint tenancy or tenancy in common, the party aggrieved shall have his action for the injury in the same manner as he would have if such joint tenancy or tenancy in common did not exist; provided that nothing herein contained shall prevent one cotenant or joint tenant or any number of cotenants or joint tenants acting together less than all from entering on the common property at any point or points not then in the actual occupancy of the nonjoining cotenants or joint tenants and enjoying all rights of occupancy of the property, without waste and, in the case of mining property, from mining the same in a minerlike manner and extracting, milling, and disposing of the ore from the common property, paying its or their own expenses and subject to accounting to the nonjoining cotenant or joint tenant for the net profits of such mining operations, if any made, and all liens for labor and materials incurred in such mining shall attach only to the undivided interest or interests of the working cotenants or joint tenants, but nothing herein shall prevent or preclude the cotenant or joint tenant, not joining in the operation of such mining property, from receiving his, its, or their proportionate share of all ore or ores on the dump upon payment or tendering payment of the actual cost of mining the same.

     History: En. Sec. 2, p. 454, Bannack Stat.; re-en. Sec. 2, p. 504, Cod. Stat. 1871; re-en. Sec. 771, 5th Div. Rev. Stat. 1879; re-en. Sec. 1285, 5th Div. Comp. Stat. 1887; amd. Sec. 592, C. Civ. Proc. 1895; en. Sec. 1, p. 134, L. 1899; re-en. Sec. 6499, Rev. C. 1907; re-en. Sec. 9091, R.C.M. 1921; re-en. Sec. 9091, R.C.M. 1935; R.C.M. 1947, 93-2829.

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