Statutes and Statutory Interpretation: Construing as a Whole

McCoy v. Benefis Healthcare [11/19/02] 2002 MTWCC 59 A court must look at the statute as a whole and give effect to all of its provisions and its purpose.

Re: Thunstrom [8/8/02] 2002 MTWCC 39 The subsections of a statute must be construed together to give effect to all provisions. Where one subsection provides that an independent medical examination shall be conducted at a place as close as practical to a claimant, and another subsection states that the Court may order an IME either in or out-of-state, the Court must fix the place of the examination as close as practical to the claimant's residence.

Fliehler v. Uninsured Employers' Fund, 2002 MT 125 Statutory interpretation is a "holistic endeavor" that must consider the statute's text, language, structure, and object. The Supreme Court will read and construe a statute as a whole to avoid an absurd result and to give effect to a statute's purpose.

S.L.H. v. State Fund [12/28/00] 2000 MT 362 Statutory construction is a "holistic endeavor" and must account for the statute's text, language, structure, and object.

MSG v. DOL [4/21/98] 1998 MTWCC 31 If possible, a statute must be construed in its entirety; words and phrases cannot be read in isolation. Vita-Rich Dairy, Inc. v. Dept. of Business Regulation, 170 Mont. 341, 348, 553 P. 2d 980, 984 (1976); McClanathan v. Smith, 186 Mont. 56, 62, 606 P. 2d 507, 510 (1980).