Montana
Laurence Fishburne's Daughter Montana Sentenced After Battery Arrest

Montana Fishburne. Johnny Louis/Getty Images
Laurence Fishburne’s eldest daughter, Montana Fishburne, has been sentenced to 24 months of probation following a 2022 arrest, Us Weekly can exclusively confirm.
Montana, 32, was arrested in January 2022 by Broward County sheriffs and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer. According to police records in Florida obtained by Us, Montana called 911 about an ex-boyfriend allegedly stalking and threatening her. After police officers arrived on the scene, there was no one home. Per records, Montana allegedly started yelling at cops “that no one helped her” from the sidewalk near the reported address and approached them, with police telling her “multiple times to back up.” According to the police report, she slapped one of the deputies on the side of his head, causing swelling and redness on the officer’s ear.
Montana initially pleaded not guilty to the felony charge, but changed her plea to no contest on April 10.
“There is no admission of guilt and no conviction and the case will be sealed and put in the rearview,” Montana’s attorney, Michael Grieco, tells Us in a statement. “And young Ms. Fishburne will be able to move on with her life.”
Grieco also noted that Montana’s probation period will end after she completes a 13-week anger management program.
Montana has previously been arrested twice. In 2017, she was charged with three misdemeanors for a DUI but released the next day after posting a $2,500 bond. Three years later in 2020, Montana was also arrested for driving under the influence in Florida. She was once again released on bond.
Laurence, 62, is a father of three. He shares daughter Montana and son Langston, 36, with ex-wife Hajna O. Moss. The actor also coparents daughter Delilah, 16, with Suits alum Gina Torres.
Montana previously told Us she didn’t have an interest in following in her famous father’s footsteps.
“I wasn’t really into mainstream acting,” Montana exclusively told Us in 2010. “People would ask me, ‘Do you want to get into acting? Do you want to be an actress?’ and I would say, straight up, ‘No.’ I knew I wanted to do adult [films].”
Montana further noted that she was proud to star in X-rated movies. “I had a little passion inside me to do porn,” she said. “I didn’t really want to tell too many people about it because I was afraid of their reactions when I was younger. I started thinking about it … when I was 16.”
She continued at the time, “I absolutely didn’t make this movie to hurt my parents or bring shame to my family name. This was something that I wanted to do and I think that, in time, my father will support me in my decision.”
Montana moved out of her parents’ home when she turned 18, telling Us that her mother still supports her. “[My mom] just tells me that she loves me and that whatever decisions that I make, she wants me to be sure about it. And I am,” Montana added.
Laurence has never publicly addressed Montana’s career aspirations or her multiple arrests.

Montana
Montana Supreme Court backs youth plaintiffs in groundbreaking climate trial

The Montana Supreme Court voted 6 to 1, affirming a lower court ruling that said the state’s fossil fuel friendly policies, along with a lack of action to address climate change, has violated the young people’s constitutional right to a clean environment. The decision means that state agencies must now consider the greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts of any proposed development project.
Olivia Vesovich is one of the youth plaintiffs. She’s been involved with this case for the last 5 years.
“Hope is something we work towards, and that is what this case has been,” said Vesovich. “We have fought to have our voices heard. We have fought to have our case in the state and now that we got our voices heard by the Montana Supreme Court.”
Statements from the Governor and Attorney General’s spokespeople reiterated their arguments from the appeal that the young people lacked standing to bring this case and that climate change is beyond the scope of the courts.
Republican lawmakers called the decision an overstep from the court into the legislature’s role. Democratic leadership praised the decision. Environmental groups heralded the decision as a critical victory in the fight against climate change.
Montana is one of 6 states with environmental protections enshrined in its constitution.
Columbia University climate change law professor Michael Gerrard says although this ruling is specific to Montana, it sets an important precedent for other climate litigation.
“I think this kind of victory will embolden youth plaintiffs and others to bring similar cases in other parts of the country, and here the trial court, now referred by the state Supreme Court, upheld all the findings of the climate scientists. It’s going to be increasingly hard for anyone to challenge those scientific findings,” said Gerrard.
Given that the case is predicated on Montana’s Constitution, this ruling is the final decision. It cannot be appealed to a federal court.
Montana
Montana Supreme Court upholds landmark youth climate ruling

Montana’s Supreme Court has upheld a lower court’s decision that had sided with 16 young activists who argued that the state violated their right to a clean environment.
The lawsuit was brought by students arguing that a state law banning the consideration of climate when choosing energy policy was unconstitutional.
In a 6-to-1 ruling, the top court found that the plaintiffs, between ages five and 22, had a “fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment”.
Wednesday’s ruling came after a district court’s decision last year was appealed by the state. Similar climate lawsuits are ongoing across the US but this is first of its kind a from a state supreme court.
The lawsuit targeted a 2011 state law that made it illegal for environmental reviews to consider climate impacts when deciding on new projects, like building new power plants.
It cited a 50-year-old constitutional clause that guaranteed the “state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations”.
The ruling on Wednesday stated that the “plaintiffs showed at trial – without dispute – that climate change is harming Montana’s environmental life support system now and with increasing severity for the foreseeable future” .
Rikki Held, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in a statement that “this ruling is a victory not just for us, but for every young person whose future is threatened by climate change”.
Montana state officials expressed disappointment with the court’s decision.
Governor Greg Gianforte said his office was still assessing the ruling, but predicted the impact would be “perpetual lawsuits that will waste taxpayer dollars and drive up energy bills for hardworking Montanans”.
Western Environmental Law Center, which represented the young plaintiffs, said in a statement that the decision marks “a turning point in Montana’s energy policy”.
It said plaintiffs and their legal team “are committed to ensuring the full implementation of the ruling”.
Similar cases are scheduled to be heard in several other states, including Hawaii, Utah and Alaska, as well as in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Colombia and Uganda.
Montana
Montana Supreme Court affirms decision in landmark youth climate case

What’s New
The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday affirmed a landmark climate decision that declared the state was violating residents’ constitutional right to a clean environment by allowing oil, gas and coal projects without regard for global warming.
Why It Matters
The decision reinforces an August 2023 ruling by District Court Judge Kathy Seeley, who found that Montana’s practices violated its residents’ constitutional right to a “clean and healthful environment.”
This pivotal case, spearheaded by a group of young plaintiffs aged 6 to 23, represented a milestone for climate advocates seeking judicial intervention to compel governmental action on climate change.
What To Know
On Wednesday in a 6-1 ruling, the Montana Supreme Court upheld the August 2023 decision.
The court’s decision strikes down a state policy that prohibited the consideration of greenhouse gas emissions in granting permits for fossil fuel development.
The state had previously appealed the ruling by Seeley, and arguments were heard in July, in which the state argued that greenhouse gases released from Montana fossil fuel projects are minuscule on a global scale and reducing them would have no effect on climate change.
Thom Bridge/Independent Record/ AP
Chief Justice Mike McGrath dismissed the state’s argument that Montana’s emissions are insignificant on a global scale, likening the defense to an “everyone else is doing it” excuse.
McGrath wrote, “The right to a clean and healthful environment is meaningless if the State abdicates its responsibility to protect it.”
What Are People Saying
Melissa Hornbein, an attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center and attorney for the plaintiffs said, “With the ruling now in place, the Montana Supreme Court’s decision compels the state to carefully assess the greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts of all future fossil fuel permits.”
Chief Justice Mike McGrath wrote for the majority: “Plaintiffs may enforce their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment against the State, which owes them that affirmative duty, without requiring everyone else to stop jumping off bridges or adding fuel to the fire. Otherwise the right to a clean and healthful environment is meaningless.”
Republican Governor Greg Gianforte said in a statement that the state was still reviewing the decision, but said it will lead to “perpetual lawsuits that will waste taxpayer dollars and drive up energy bills for hardworking Montanans.
Pushback From State Leadership
The ruling has sparked a backlash from Gianforte, who criticized the court for what he described as judicial overreach. He warned the decision could invite an onslaught of lawsuits, increase energy costs for Montanans and hinder the state’s “all-of-the-above” energy strategy.
“This Court continues to step outside of its lane to tread on the right of the Legislature, the elected representatives of the people, to make policy,” he said in a statement. “This decision does nothing more than declare open season on Montana’s all-of-the-above approach to energy, which is key to providing affordable and reliable energy to homes, schools, and businesses across our state.”
Gianforte also convened energy stakeholders earlier this week to discuss boosting production to meet rising demand, emphasizing the need for “unleashing American energy” to maintain grid stability.
The Plaintiffs’ Perspective
For the 16 young plaintiffs, the court’s decision validates their personal struggles with the tangible effects of climate change. In a Wednesday statement, lead plaintiff Rikki Held called the ruling “a victory not just for us, but for every young person whose future is threatened by climate change.”
During the trial, the plaintiffs described how worsening wildfires, droughts and diminishing snowpack have disrupted their lives, polluted the air and depleted vital natural resources. They argued that the state’s failure to address these challenges imperils their future and violates their constitutional rights.
What Happens Next
The ruling has positioned Montana as a flashpoint in the national debate over climate accountability, potentially inspiring similar legal challenges across the United States.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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