Montana Code Annotated 2023

TITLE 25. CIVIL PROCEDURE

CHAPTER 30A. MONTANA UNIFORM MUNICIPAL COURT RULES OF APPEAL TO DISTRICT COURT

Part 2200. II. Appeals From Municipal Court Judgments

Sureties And Their Justification

Rule 8. Sureties and their justification.

(a) Justification of sureties. The adverse party may except to the sufficiency of the sureties within 5 days after the filing of the undertaking, and unless they or other sureties justify before the municipal court judge or a judge of the district court of the county in which such action has been tried within 5 days thereafter, upon notice to the adverse party, to the amounts stated in their affidavits, the appeal must be regarded as if no such undertaking had been given. The sureties on the undertakings mentioned in this rule must justify as provided in § 33-26-102, MCA.

(b) Deposit of money in lieu of undertaking. Whenever an undertaking is required on appeal by the provisions of these rules, a deposit in the municipal court below of the amount of the judgment appealed from plus $300 or, if the judgment is for the recovery of specific personal property, the value of the property plus $300 or, if the party in whose favor the judgment is rendered appeals, $100 is equivalent to filing the undertaking. The municipal court clerk shall transmit the money to the clerk of the district court, who shall pay it out on the order of the court.

(c) Waiver of undertaking. In all cases where an undertaking is required on appeal by the provisions of these rules, the undertaking or deposit may be waived by the written consent of the respondent.

(d) Defective undertaking. No appeal shall be dismissed for insufficiency of the undertaking thereon or for any defect or irregularity therein if a good and sufficient undertaking be filed in the district court at or before the hearing of the motion to dismiss the appeal, which undertaking must be approved by the district judge.

History: En. Sup. Ct. Ord. Mar. 19, 1998, eff. April 1, 1998.