Opinion ID: 890183
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Mootness Principles

Text: ¶ 16 The judicial power of Montana's courts is limited to justiciable controversies. Plan Helena, Inc. v. Helena Regl. Airport Auth. Bd., 2010 MT 26, ¶ 6, 355 Mont. 142, 226 P.3d 567; Gateway Opencut Mining Action Group v. Bd. of County Commrs., 2011 MT 198, ¶ 16, 361 Mont. 398, 260 P.3d 133; State v. Benn, 2012 MT 33, ¶ 9, 364 Mont. 153, 274 P.3d 47. A justiciable controversy is one upon which a court's judgment will effectively operate, as distinguished from a dispute invoking a purely political, administrative, philosophical, or academic conclusion. Plan Helena, ¶ 8. The central concepts of justiciability have been elaborated into more specific doctrinesnamely, advisory opinions, feigned and collusive cases, standing, ripeness, mootness, political questions, and administrative questionseach of which is governed by its own set of substantive rules. Plan Helena, ¶ 8; Greater Missoula Area Fedn. of Early Childhood Educators v. Child Start, Inc., 2009 MT 362, ¶ 23, 353 Mont. 201, 219 P.3d 881. At issue here is the question of mootness. ¶ 17 Mootness is the doctrine of standing set in a time frame: the requisite personal interest that must exist at the commencement of the litigation (standing) must continue throughout its existence (mootness). Greater Missoula, ¶ 23. Thus, if the issue presented at the outset of the action has ceased to exist or is no longer live, or if the court is unable due to an intervening event or change in circumstances to grant effective relief or to restore the parties to their original position, then the issue before the court is moot. Greater Missoula, ¶ 23; Gateway Opencut, ¶ 16; Benn, ¶ 9. Because the constitutional requirement of a case or controversy contemplates real controversies and not abstract differences of opinion or moot questions, courts lack jurisdiction to decide moot issues insofar as an actual case or controversy no longer exists. Greater Missoula, ¶ 23. Hence, mootness is a threshold issue which we must resolve before we may address the substantive merits of a dispute. Griffith v. Butte Sch. Dist. No. 1, 2010 MT 246, ¶ 23, 358 Mont. 193, 244 P.3d 321. ¶ 18 Stuivenga argues that, due to an intervening event or change in circumstances, this Court is unable to grant effective relief. Specifically, he contends that it is impossible to grant effective relief because he has already used the $25,000 to pay the medical bills he incurred as a result of the accident. Stuivenga asserts that it would be wrong to force the ambulance services and emergency medical providers to pay back the monies and await the results of further proceedings in this case. He faults Evans for not taking some action to hold and maintain the funds in the District Court's registry pending an appeal. ¶ 19 In response, Evans argues that the medical providers would not have to return the monies which Stuivenga has paid to them. Rather, Evans contends that if she prevails on this appeal (i.e., if this Court reverses and remands for a new trial), and if she prevails at a second trial in the District Court, then Stuivenga, not the medical providers, will be liable for the $25,000. Evans maintains, therefore, that this Court can grant effective relief. ¶ 20 As will be seen in the ensuing discussion, our jurisprudence concerning the mootness of appeals, where the underlying judgment has been satisfied, has followed a somewhat tortuous path. We therefore undertake herein to reconcile our cases and to articulate clear guidelines on the subject.