{"data":{"id":"us-mt/27-1-220","jurisdiction":"us-mt","citation":"27-1-220","heading":"Punitive damages -- when allowed -- limitation.","body":"(1) Except as otherwise expressly provided by statute and subject to subsection (3), a judge or jury may award, in addition to compensatory damages, punitive damages for the sake of example and for the purpose of punishing a defendant.\n(2) (a) Unless otherwise expressly provided by statute, punitive damages may not be recovered in any action arising from:\n(i) contract; or\n(ii) breach of contract.\n(b) Subsection (2)(a) does not prohibit recovery of punitive damages in a products liability action or an action arising under 33-18-201.\n(3) An award for punitive damages may not exceed $10 million or 3% of a defendant's net worth, whichever is less. This subsection does not limit punitive damages that may be awarded in class action lawsuits.","path":["TITLE 27. CIVIL LIABILITY, REMEDIES, AND LIMITATIONS","CHAPTER 1. AVAILABILITY OF REMEDIES -- LIABILITY","Part 2. Damages"],"source_url":"https://mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0270/chapter_0010/part_0020/section_0200/0270-0010-0020-0200.html","current_through":"Montana Code Annotated 2025","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T04:50:24Z","sha256":"b2a960f10b8564eaaa8275ea198c349be438e7657ad9ae26369c745ecb9d9f23","source_id":"us-mt","stale":false,"prev":"us-mt/27-1-215","next":"us-mt/27-1-221"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}