Montana § 25-9-403 - Request For Periodic Payment Of Future Damages -- Nonmalpractice Claims

§ 25-9-403. Request For Periodic Payment Of Future Damages -- Nonmalpractice Claims

Request for periodic payment of future damages -- nonmalpractice claims. (1) Except as provided in 25-9-412 , a party to an action for personal injury, property damage, or wrongful death in which $100,000 or more of future damages is awarded may, prior to the entry of judgment, request the court to enter a judgment ordering future damages to be paid in whole or in part by periodic payments rather than by a lump-sum payment. Upon a request, the court may enter an order for periodic payment of future damages if the court finds that periodic payment is in the best interests of the claimant. The total dollar amount of the ordered periodic payments must equal the total dollar amount of the future damages without a reduction to present value. (2) A court ordering the payment of future damages by periodic payments shall make specific findings as to the dollar amount of periodic payments needed to compensate the judgment creditor for future damages and as to whether an order for periodic payment of future damages is in the best interests of the claimant. (3) The judgment order must specify the recipient or recipients of periodic payments, the dollar amount of the payments, the interval between payments, and the number of payments or the period of time over which payments must be made. (4) A court ordering periodic payment of future damages shall order that the payments be made, during the life of the judgment creditor or during the continuance of the compensable injury or disability of the judgment creditor, through the purchase of an inflation-indexed annuity approved by the court. The annuity must be in the form of an inflation-indexed annuity contract purchased from a qualified insurer that, in the most recent edition of A.M. Best, has an "A" (excellent) or higher rating and is in a class 7 or higher classification. The annuity also serves as any required supersedeas bond. Upon purchase of a court-approved annuity, the court may order that the judgment is satisfied and that the judgment debtor is discharged. If the judgment creditor dies before all periodic payments have been made, the remaining payments become the property of the creditor's estate.