Mont. Code Ann. » TITLE 33. INSURANCE AND INSURANCE COMPANIES · CHAPTER 20. LIFE INSURANCE · Part 1. Policy Provisions
Montana Code Annotated

Mont. Code Ann. § 33-20-121 (2026)

Prohibited Provisions -- Limitations On Liability

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  1. MCA Contents
  2. TITLE 33
  3. CHAPTER 20
  4. Part 1
  5. 33-20-121 Prohibited provisions -- limitations on liability

TITLE 33. INSURANCE AND INSURANCE COMPANIES

CHAPTER 20. LIFE INSURANCE

Part 1. Policy Provisions

Prohibited Provisions -- Limitations On Liability

33-20-121. Prohibited provisions -- limitations on liability. (1) A policy of life insurance may not be delivered or issued for delivery in this state if it contains a provision:

(a) for a period shorter than that provided by statute within which an action at law or in equity may be commenced on the policy; or

(b) that excludes or restricts liability for death caused in a certain specified manner or occurring while the insured has a specified status, except that a policy may contain provisions excluding or restricting coverage as specified in the policy in the event of death:

(i) as a result, directly or indirectly, of war, declared or undeclared, or of action by military forces or of an act or hazard of war or action or of service in the military, naval, or air forces or in civilian forces auxiliary to those military forces or from any cause while a member of military, naval, or air forces of a country at war, declared or undeclared, or of a country engaged in military action;

(ii) as a result of aviation, air travel, or flight;

(iii) as a result of a specified hazardous occupation or occupations;

(iv) while the insured is a resident outside the continental United States and Canada; or

(v) within 2 years from the date of issue of the policy as a result of suicide. If a life insurance policy contains a dependent rider, the dependent coverage may be continued upon payment of the premium for the dependent rider.

(2) A policy that contains an exclusion or restriction pursuant to subsection (1) must also provide that in the event of death under the circumstances to which the exclusion or restriction is applicable, the insurer will pay an amount not less than a reserve determined according to the commissioner's reserve valuation method on the basis of the mortality table and interest rate specified in the policy for the calculation of nonforfeiture benefits or, if the policy does not provide for nonforfeiture benefits, computed according to a mortality table and interest rate determined by the insurer and specified in the policy or by any other method more favorable to the policyholder, with adjustment for indebtedness or dividend credit.

(3) This section does not apply to industrial life insurance, group life insurance, disability insurance, reinsurance, or annuities or to a provision in a life insurance policy relating to disability benefits or to additional benefits in the event of death by accident or accidental means.

(4) This section does not prohibit a provision that in the opinion of the commissioner is more favorable to the policyholder than a provision permitted by this section.

History: En. Sec. 320, Ch. 286, L. 1959; R.C.M. 1947, 40-3826; amd. Sec. 28, Ch. 198, L. 1979; amd. Sec. 7, Ch. 699, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 23, Ch. 451, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 6, Ch. 490, L. 1997; amd. Sec. 38, Ch. 472, L. 1999.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 2 cases, 1993–1993 · leading case: Sagan v. Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 857 P.2d 719 (Mont. 1993).
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Sagan v. Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 857 P.2d 719 (Mont. 1993). · cites it 30× “In this action by the beneficiary of a life insurance policy against an insurer, we conclude that § 33-20-121(2), MCA, must be read into an insurance policy containing an otherwise valid suicide exclusion.”
Sagan v. Prudential Ins., No. 93-138 (Mont. July 5, 1993). · cites it 14× “Section 33-20-121(1)(v), MCA, expressly permits life insurance policies to exclude or restrict coverage in the event of a death resulting from suicide within two years of the date of issue of the 3 policy. The Prudential policy at issue here contained such a suicide exclusion.”
Mont. Code Ann. § 33-20-121(1)(v): 1 case
Sagan v. Prudential Ins., No. 93-138 (Mont. July 5, 1993). “Section 33-20-121(1)(v), MCA, expressly permits life insurance policies to exclude or restrict coverage in the event of a death resulting from suicide within two years of the date of issue of the 3 policy. The Prudential policy at issue here contained such a suicide exclusion.”
Mont. Code Ann. § 33-20-121(2): 2 cases
Sagan v. Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 857 P.2d 719 (Mont. 1993). “In this action by the beneficiary of a life insurance policy against an insurer, we conclude that § 33-20-121(2), MCA, must be read into an insurance policy containing an otherwise valid suicide exclusion.”
Sagan v. Prudential Ins., No. 93-138 (Mont. July 5, 1993). “Section 33-20-121(1)(v), MCA, expressly permits life insurance policies to exclude or restrict coverage in the event of a death resulting from suicide within two years of the date of issue of the 3 policy. The Prudential policy at issue here contained such a suicide exclusion.”
Mont. Code Ann. § 33-20-121(Z): 1 case
Sagan v. Prudential Ins., No. 93-138 (Mont. July 5, 1993). “Section 33-20-121(1)(v), MCA, expressly permits life insurance policies to exclude or restrict coverage in the event of a death resulting from suicide within two years of the date of issue of the 3 policy. The Prudential policy at issue here contained such a suicide exclusion.”
Mont. Code Ann. § 33-20-121(l)(b)(v): 1 case
Sagan v. Prudential Ins. Co. of Am., 857 P.2d 719 (Mont. 1993). “In this action by the beneficiary of a life insurance policy against an insurer, we conclude that § 33-20-121(2), MCA, must be read into an insurance policy containing an otherwise valid suicide exclusion.”
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