Trial Date Set For Prison Riot Suit

A June trial date has been set for one of the 12 lawsuits on behalf of prisoners killed or injured during the 1991 riot at Montana State Prison, but no date has been set for the remaining 11 cases pending a Montana Supreme Court ruling.

The case that is going to trial was filed by the parents of Ernest Holliday, one of five prisoners killed during the Sept. 22, 1991, riot at the state’s maximum security unit.

District Judge Ted Mizner recently ruled that the negligence of Montana State Prison employees was to blame for the injuries and deaths of the prisoners. That ruling has set the stage for a possible trial to determine damages for the affected inmates or their survivors, and the state’s share of those damages.

The other 11 cases are tied up while the state appeals another of Mizner’s rulings.