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Montana · Exclusive statutory remedy, capped, 180-day notice
Montana Dram Shop & Hospitality Expert Witness
Ryan Dahlstrom accepts hospitality and entertainment expert-witness engagements in Montana. 35+ years of hands-on experience in bars, restaurants, nightclubs, hotels, live entertainment venues and special events — retained by attorneys representing plaintiffs and defendants.
In short
Ryan Dahlstrom is a hospitality and entertainment industry expert witness who accepts engagements in Montana. He has more than 35 years of hands-on experience in bars, restaurants, nightclubs, hotels, live entertainment venues and special events, and is retained by attorneys representing plaintiffs and defendants. In Montana matters he evaluates hospitality and venue operations, alcohol service and overservice, bar and nightclub operations, restaurant operations and management, security operations and negligent security, premises liability, event management, event security, event and stage safety, and surveillance video analysis. His opinions address operational standards — alcohol-service practices, staffing, training, supervision, policy and procedure, security, crowd management and incident response — measured against hospitality industry standards. He does not offer opinions on the law, engineering, toxicology or medical causation.
Alcohol Service
Dram Shop and Liquor Liability in Montana
Exclusive statutory remedy, capped, 180-day notice
Montana's provision, Mont. Code Ann. § 27-1-710, was revised in 2023. Furnishing alcohol grounds liability in three defined situations: the consumer was visibly intoxicated when served; the furnisher forced consumption or represented that the beverage contained no alcohol; or the consumer was underage and the furnisher knew this or made no reasonable attempt to determine age.
The statute is exclusive. A person or entity that furnishes alcohol may not be found civilly liable under any other statute or common-law claim for injuries arising from an event involving a person who was served or consumed alcohol. For claims arising from the furnishing of alcohol, the statute is the exclusive basis for liability.
Procedure is tight: written notice of an intended claim must be sent to the establishment by certified mail within 180 days of the date of service, suit must be filed within two years, and non-economic and punitive damages are capped at $250,000 per event.
This summary is general information for counsel, not legal advice. Statutes, regulations and case law change; counsel should confirm the law in effect on the date of loss. Ryan Dahlstrom's opinions address operational practices measured against hospitality industry standards; he does not offer opinions on the law.
Hospitality Context
Montana Venues and Operations
Montana's licensed trade includes Bozeman, Missoula and Whitefish resort and college-town operations, ski-area food and beverage at Big Sky and Whitefish, a distinctive tavern and casino-license structure in which many bars operate gaming machines, and a large seasonal tourism trade around the national parks.
Evidence
What Ryan Reviews in Montana Matters
- Service and POS records correlated into an operational timeline.
- Surveillance video across the service period, reviewed for observable indicators and reconciled against records and testimony.
- Training and certification records for the staff actually on shift, measured against the state's server-training scheme.
- Written policy and procedure — and whether practice matched the document.
- Staffing, supervision and deployment at the relevant time, including security posts and ratios against actual occupancy.
- Incident reports and prior-incident history bearing on foreseeability.
Scope
Areas Ryan May Be Retained On in Montana
Where relevant to the matter. Ryan is retained by attorneys representing plaintiffs and defendants; opinions follow the facts and the applicable standard of care, not the retaining party.
Hospitality
- Hospitality operations
- Hospitality management
- Venue operations
- Hotel operations
- Management practices
- Policies and procedures
- Employee training
- Operational standards
Alcohol service
- Dram shop
- Liquor liability
- Alcohol service
- Alcohol overservice
- Responsible beverage service
- Alcohol service to minors
Bar, nightclub & restaurant
- Bar operations
- Bar management
- Nightclub operations
- Nightclub management
- Restaurant operations
- Restaurant management
- Beverage operations
Security
- Security operations
- Bar security
- Nightclub security
- Event security
- Negligent security
- Crowd management
- Crowd control
Premises & events
- Premises liability
- Event management
- Event operations
- Event safety
- Event & stage safety
- Special event management
Analysis
- Surveillance video analysis
- Surveillance video compilation
- Incident timeline analysis
- Standard of care review
Availability
Montana Engagements
Ryan Dahlstrom accepts expert-witness engagements in Montana and throughout the United States, and has been retained in matters by plaintiff and defense counsel nationwide. The hospitality industry standards that govern alcohol service, staffing, training and security apply wherever a venue operates; what differs from state to state is the governing law and what must be proven.
His case experience includes matters in Texas, Nevada, New Mexico, Illinois, Utah, Washington, California, New York, Kentucky and other jurisdictions, involving dram shop and liquor liability, security, premises liability, hospitality operations, event safety, restaurant management and bar operations.
Questions
Montana — Common Questions from Counsel
Is Montana's dram shop statute the exclusive remedy?
What are Montana's notice and damages rules?
Does Montana's bar-and-gaming structure affect a case?
Montana Matter Under Review?
Submit a case inquiry for a confidential conflicts check and evaluation. Ryan responds to case inquiries within one business day.