Montana Title 45. Crimes § 45-8-114. Failure to yield party line

(1) Any person who fails to relinquish a telephone party line or public pay telephone after the person has been requested to do so to permit another to place an emergency call to a fire department or police department or for medical aid or ambulance service shall be imprisoned for a term not to exceed 10 days or be fined not to exceed $25, or both.

(2) It is a defense to prosecution under subsection (1) that the accused did not know or did not have reason to know of the emergency in question or that the accused was using the telephone party line or public pay telephone for an emergency call.

(3) Any person who requests another to relinquish a telephone party line or public pay telephone on the pretext that the person needs to place an emergency call, knowing the pretext to be false, shall be imprisoned for a term not to exceed 10 days or be fined not to exceed $25, or both.

(4) Each telephone company doing business in this state shall print a copy of subsections (1), (2), and (3) in each telephone directory published by it.