Helena Sues Jones Law Firm in Lewis and Clark County Declaratory Judgment Case

The City of Helena filed a civil declaratory-judgment lawsuit against Jones Law Firm and Helena resident Ellen Marie Boldman in the Montana First Judicial District Court on March 4, 2026, opening a new legal front in Lewis and Clark County's busy docket of government-related litigation.

The case, docketed as DV-25-2026-0000154-DK, names two defendants: Boldman and Jones Law Firm, listed in public court records as "Jones Law Firm" with some related filings referencing the entity as Jones Law Firm, PLLC. The precise corporate form has not been confirmed in the complaint. The filing was first captured in the Law.com Radar new-suit feed, which classifies the matter as a civil declaratory-judgment action.

A declaratory-judgment suit asks a court to formally define the legal rights and obligations of the parties without necessarily awarding damages, a procedural tool that local governments and private litigants have used repeatedly in the First Judicial District. The Helena Parents Commission brought a declaratory action in Lewis and Clark County alleging that mismanaged public funds cost taxpayers more than $5.5 million in lost property tax revenue. JTL Group, doing business as Knife River, filed a separate declaratory action in Helena in 2010 over a Fort Missoula gravel pit permit that ended with the company stipulating it would cease mining operations there. Those cases bear no legal connection to the March 4, 2026 filing; they illustrate how frequently the First Judicial District has served as the venue for disputes over rights, permits, and public obligations.

What the public record does not yet show is what the City of Helena actually alleges against Boldman and Jones Law Firm. The new-suit listing discloses only the parties, the case number, the filing date, and the civil classification. The complaint itself, which would identify the specific statutes at issue, the relief Helena seeks, and the attorneys representing each side, must be obtained directly from the Lewis and Clark County District Court clerk.

Jones Law Firm, PLLC, has appeared in recent high-profile state appellate litigation. Attorney Emily Jones of the firm served as Special Assistant Attorney General in two separate Montana Supreme Court proceedings, ACORN International v. State of Montana (DA 23-382) and Forward Montana v. State of Montana (DA 22-0639), both of which arose from causes filed in the First Judicial District before Judge Mike Menahan. Those appearances do not establish any connection between the firm and the March 4 suit; they show only that Jones Law Firm has a documented history of practice in Montana state courts. The firm lists its address as 115 N. Broadway, Suite 410, in Billings.

Neither the City of Helena nor Jones Law Firm had issued a public statement on the filing as of March 10, 2026. The next scheduled docket entries, including service, any answer deadline, or a scheduling order, have not yet appeared in publicly available court records.