High court to hear 'doughnut' arguments

Whitefish residents will have a rare opportunity to hear oral arguments in the “doughnut” lawsuit when the Montana Supreme Court holds a session on Friday at the University of Montana in Missoula.

The high court has been tasked with sorting out a long-running legal dispute over which local government entity — the city of Whitefish or Flathead County — should have the ability to make land-use decisions in the two-mile area around Whitefish that’s known as the doughnut.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments at 9:30 a.m. Friday, April 11, in the George and Jane Dennison Theatre on the Missoula campus. An introduction to the case will precede the arguments. Oral arguments will be 40 minutes for both the appellants and appellees.

The UM School of Law is hosting the session, which is free and open to the public.

Former Supreme Court Justice Terry Trieweiler and Whitefish City Attorney Mary Van Buskirk are listed in court documents as attorneys for the city of Whitefish. Missoula attorney Alan McCormick represents Flathead County and Kalispell attorney John Lacey represents the intervenors in the case.

Kalispell attorney Duncan Scott, who represents plaintiffs Turner Askew, Anne Dee Reno, Lyle Phillips and Ben Whitten, said he believes the lawsuit is “an interesting issue for a Missoula audience to witness.

“The issue of whether legal settlements can be overturned by referendum has ramifications statewide,” Scott said.

Attorneys for all four parties are expected to present oral arguments.