HELENA – A Montana lawmaker is asking for a new trial after a jury ruled he took illegal corporate contributions from an anti-union organization in 2010.
Attorneys for Republican Rep. Art Wittich of Bozeman said in their motion Friday that jurors relied on faulty evidence and cost estimates provided by a witness. They also said the state’s definition of a campaign contribution is unconstitutional and that a juror was inappropriately dismissed at the beginning of the trial.
The jury ruled in April that Wittich took $19,599 in illegal and unreported in-kind contributions from the National Right to Work Committee and its affiliates. He was ordered to pay more than $80,000 in fines and costs.
Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl, who led the case against Wittich, says motions for retrial are part of the judicial process and “I’m confident we’ll continue to prevail.”