$115,000 net verdict for a family whose home flooded when the city’s drainage failed.
Mindy and Mike Jack are working parents raising their kids in White Sulphur Springs. When stormwater the city’s drainage system should have carried away poured into their basement instead, they asked their town to make it right. The city denied responsibility, and its insurer, the Montana Municipal Interlocal Authority, backed that denial all the way to trial.
Before they called us, the Jacks had called other lawyers. Most would not take on a municipal insurer in a property-damage case unless it was already well into six figures. We took the case anyway, because access to the courts cannot depend on whether an insurer thinks the number is big enough to matter.
A hard room
Forty-seven people reported for jury selection on market day. The panel included City employees and close family pairs, in a community where everyone knows everyone. The defense told the jury, again and again, “small town, small budget,” and in closing accused the Jacks of wanting “two Rolls Royces for a flooded basement.”
Stubborn facts
The City blamed a “100-year storm,” then geology, then “the mountains.” Its own engineer’s testimony pointed back to the infrastructure. The pressure did not stop at the courtroom door: during trial it came out that the mayor had been monitoring the Jacks’ Facebook page, and had “loved” a photo they posted of floodwater in their basement.
The verdict
The jury found the City responsible. After allocating part of the fault to the homeowners, it returned a net verdict of $115,000. Jurors told us afterward that they had been prepared to award $225,000, until deliberations bogged down on the mistaken belief that their verdict had to be unanimous. The City paid the judgment in full, and the Jacks were honored with the Montana Trial Lawyers Association’s 2026 Citizens Award.
“They were the only people who would listen to our story when nobody else would… with Sam and Caitlin’s expertise, WE WON!”
Mindy JackClient
Case: Mindy Jack and Mike Jack v. City of White Sulphur Springs, Cause No. DV-2024-18, Montana Fourteenth Judicial District Court, Meagher County. Tried by Samir F. Aarab and Caitlin Boland Aarab.
Talk to the lawyers who tried this case. Contact Boland Aarab PLLP for a free consultation at (406) 315-3737.
