First Judicial District Upholds Due Process Afforded Molnar

COURT DENIES MOLNAR'S INJUNCTION BID

First Judicial District Upholds Due Process Afforded Molnar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 28, 2026

HELENA, Mont. — Montana's First Judicial District Court in Lewis and Clark County today has denied Commissioner Brad Molnar's request to halt Governor Greg Gianforte’s suspension of Molnar from the PSC. In an order issued by District Court Judge Mike Menahan, the Court found Molnar is unlikely to succeed on the merits of his claim, concluding he was given the due process he was owed before both the Commission and the Governor acted, and that he repeatedly chose not to use it.

A Workplace Free From Harassment and Retaliation

The Court's order recounts the Commission's monthslong, efforts to address complaints about Commissioner Molnar's conduct, yet he repeatedly declined to correct the behavior or cooperate with investigators. “Rather than engage in meaningful dialogue,” the Court wrote, “Molnar chose to attack the process.” The order concludes that the public interest requires “a functioning Public Service Commission free from sexual harassment and retaliation.”

“From the first complaint we received, our goal was to help Commissioner Molnar avoid the very problems he now faces. But when he failed to correct his behavior, and in fact even made matters worse, we had a duty to act,” said PSC Vice President Jennifer Fielder, who worked directly with the internal management team responsible for addressing reports of workplace misconduct. “No employee — at the PSC, anywhere in state government, or in the private sector — should ever have to answer to a superior who harasses or retaliates against them like that without remorse and without corrective action.”

The Commission continues to carry out its full workload under its remaining Commissioners and looks forward to the resolution of the underlying litigation. Today’s action was a denial of Molnar’s motion for an expedited preliminary injunction, which sought to block Governor Greg Gianforte's July 9, 2026 suspension of Molnar from the Montana Public Service Commission (PSC) pending the outcome of Molnar's lawsuit against the Governor and the Commission (Molnar v. PSC, et al., Cause No. ADV-2026-475).

The Commission regulates private investor-owned natural gas, electric, telephone, water, and sewer companies, certain motor carriers, and oversees natural gas pipeline safety and intrastate railroad safety. The Commission works to ensure that Montanans receive safe and reliable service from regulated public utilities while paying reasonable rates. For more information, visit psc.mt.gov or contact the Commission at 1-800-646-6150.  Follow the Commission at Twitter.com/@MT_PSC or visit Facebook.com/MontanaPSC.