Montana Supreme Court

State v. K. Proctor

July 14, 20262026 MT 150

Summary

The Court upheld Proctor’s conviction after concluding that the district court properly admitted testimony concerning nonaccidental trauma under Montana’s expert-evidence framework. Although the cellphone warrant was impermissibly broad, the Court held that the limited evidence admitted from the search was harmless, and it declined plain-error review of improper prosecutorial comments because they did not undermine the trial’s fundamental fairness. The Court also rejected Proctor’s ineffective-assistance claim for lack of prejudice.