russell The Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports here  on a 105-page opinion issued yesterday by the Montana Supreme Court  in Seltzer v. Gibson Dunn (and I thought Chancery Court was the only court that routinely wrote decisions more than 100 pages long). The case started out with a dispute about the authenticity of a painting depicting a western scene called "Lassoing a Longhorn". (The art work at the left is courtesy of the WSJ  Law Blog.)

 In sum, after the law firm withdrew the suit against an expert that questioned the authenticity of a painting that the client wanted to sell at an auction (the voluntary withdrawal of the suit was apparently due to an avalanche of affidavits supporting the position of the defendant), the defendant then sued the law firm for malicious prosecution and abuse of process. The Montana Supreme Court upheld the jury verdict against the law firm, including punitive damages, and described the law firm’s use of the court system as a form of "legal thuggery".