Dan’s Bad Judgement
Overturned 11 Times by the Supreme Court
The Montana Supreme Court has overturned Dan Wilson's decisions 11 times. Now he wants to sit on the same court we depend on to fix his mistakes.
If Dan Wilson were a justice on our state Supreme Court, who would be left to fix his mistakes and correct his bad judgements? We can’t trust Dan Wilson.
Reversal 1
In a case involving Glacier Eye Clinic and Brett Camen, Dan Wilson’s courtroom error and abuse of discretion “resulted in the jury not being fully and fairly instructed in the applicable law,” required a new trial, and led to a child victim not receiving compensation in a medical malpractice case.
The Montana Supreme Court determined that Wilson “erred” in how he polled the jury and “abused” his discretion as District Court judge in his jury instructions. The Supreme Court further found that the case Wilson presided over was so botched that it needed to be “reversed and remanded for a new trial.” [Camen v. Glacier Eye Clinic, P.C. (Supreme Court of the State of Montana, Law.Justia.com, Camen v. Glacier Eye Clinic, P.C., 09/19/23)]
Reversal 2
Dan Wilson “erred” in a real estate case involving two trusts from the Hillstead family, the Whitefish Credit Union, and First National Properties, LLC.
In 2020, the Supreme Court of Montana “reversed” part of one of Wilson’s decisions on appeal and remanded it back to the District Court with instructions of how to enter the judgment. [First National Properties LLC v. Joel D. Hillstead Trust, Rosemary Hillstead Trust and Whitefish Credit Union (Supreme Court of the State of Montana, 08/18/20)]
Reversal 3
Wilson, according to the Supreme Court of Montana, “erred” in granting summary judgment and the decision of the case he oversaw had to be reversed and remanded for further proceedings consistent with the Supreme Court’s opinion.
In 2019, Wilson presided over the case of Deanna McAtee v. Morrison & Frampton and granted a summary judgment in favor of Morrison & Frampton and dismissed McAtee’s claims of malicious prosecution with prejudice. McAtee successfully appealed this in the Supreme Court of Montana, who reversed Wilson’s judgments and remanded the case for further proceedings. [McAtee v. Morrison & Frampton (Supreme Court of Montana, McAtee v. Morrison & Frampton, 09/07/21)]
Reversal 4
Wilson “misinterpreted” a judgment and “erroneously altered and amended its substance” according to the Montana Supreme Court.
In 2020, the Supreme Court reversed one of Wilson’s decisions on appeal after determining that Wilson had “ultimately misinterpreted the judgment and, in doing so, erroneously altered and amended its substance inconsistent with its manifestly intended original meaning and effect.” [Meine v. Hren Ranches, Inc. (Supreme Court of the State of Montana, Meine v. Hren Ranches, Inc., 11/10/20)]
Reversal 5
Wilson’s decision in the J&L Lands/Nezat case was reversed by the Montana Supreme Court in June 2022 because Wilson had “erred” in his judgment.
The Supreme Court reversed Wilson’s decision to grant summary judgment to J&L Lands, LP and award them proceeds from the sale of a home they had a judgment lien on. The appellant, Jerry Nezat, argued that his homestead exemption entitled him to the full proceeds of the sale of his property. The Court agreed that Wilson had erred in satisfying J&L’s judgment lien before Nezat received the full value of the homestead exemption from the proceeds of the sale. [J&L Lands, LP v. Nezat (Law.Justia.com/Justia Opinion Summary, State Supreme Court of Montana, J&L Lands, LP v. Nezat, 06/07/22)]
Reversal 6
Wilson’s ruling to terminate a father’s parental right was reversed by the Montana Supreme Court.
In 2019, the Supreme Court undid Wilson’s decision to terminate a father’s parental rights. The Supreme Court found that the father’s lawyer had provided ineffective counsel, which unfairly prejudiced him and led to the termination of his parental rights. [In the Matter of E.Y.R. (A Youth In Need of Care) (Law.Justia.com/Justia Opinion Summary State Supreme Court of Montana, In Re: E.Y.R., 08/13/19)]
Reversal 7
Wilson’s 2020 decision in Babcock v. Casey was “reversed” by the Montana Supreme Court. due to Wilson’s having “erroneously concluded” that the statute of limitations had passed.
Reversal 8
In May 2024, the Montana Supreme Court found Wilson miscalculated a defendant's credit for time served, which would have kept him behind bars longer than the law allowed.
The court ruled the defendant was owed 76 additional days of credit for time served that Wilson had failed to award — a basic sentencing error that would have cost a Montanan more than two extra months of his liberty. (Lexis.com, State v. McGuire, 2024 MT 104N, 2024 Mont. LEXIS 518, 417 Mont. 553, 547 P.3d 1284
Reversal 9
In September 2024, the Montana Supreme Court reversed Wilson for overstepping his authority and substituting his own judgment for that of the state's tax appraisers.
Wilson had sided with a group of Flathead County lakefront property owners challenging the Department of Revenue's appraisal methodology, awarding them damages, costs, and fees. The Supreme Court found DOR's methodology was sound and accepted practice, and that Wilson simply got the law wrong by second-guessing the agency's expertise. (Supreme Court of the State of Montana, Law.Justia.com, Solem v. Department of Revenue, 09/24/24)
Reversal 10
In December 2024, the Montana Supreme Court reversed Wilson for siding with county government over a private property owner.
Wilson dismissed a landowner's claim that Flathead County owed compensation after a court ordered removal of a bridge the county itself had permitted — effectively letting local government take private property without paying for it. The Supreme Court disagreed, ruling the owner had a constitutionally protected property interest and sending the case back for the compensation claim Wilson tried to shut down. (Supreme Court of the State of Montana, Law.Justia.com, Flathead Properties L.L.C. v. Flathead Cty, 2024 MT 323, 12/31/24)
Reversal 11
In August 2025, the Montana Supreme Court reversed Judge Dan Wilson after finding he denied a criminal defendant his constitutional right to due process.
Wilson himself concluded the defendant's own trial counsel had presented a "perjured" defense built on a "fantastical theory" — and still sentenced the man to nine years, with four suspended, without granting the new trial the law required once counsel is found ineffective. The Supreme Court didn't just reverse Wilson; it took the rare step of stripping him of the case entirely, ruling it would be difficult for him to put his own previously expressed views out of mind and that a different judge was needed to "preserve the appearance of justice." (Supreme Court of the State of Montana, Law.Justia.com, State v. B. Kelsey, 2025 MT 173N, 08/05/25)