A grassroots group of Laurel residents is asking a state judge to halt all planning and construction of a proposed forensic mental health facility after the state purchased 114 acres of farmland for the project west of town.
Laurel Citizens Advocating for Responsible Economic Development, known as C.A.R.E.D., a group that formed in January 2025, filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that, if granted, would stop all permitting, design, construction and other planning for the forensic facility.
The state purchased the 114 acres on June 12 to house the facility, which is expected to hold between 32 and possibly 64 beds. The facility would treat people already in the legal system who need a psychological evaluation to determine whether they’re fit to stand trial.
Laurel C.A.R.E.D. also filed a second complaint alleging the state spent $4.25 million in taxpayer dollars on the land even though neither the city of Laurel nor Yellowstone County ever applied to be considered for the facility. That complaint further alleges the Montana Board of Investments worked behind the scenes with Laurel’s city administrator to bring the facility to the area, keeping residents and city council members unaware of what was happening. Both complaints were filed in Yellowstone County District Court.
The Montana Legislature appropriated $26.5 million for the facility in 2025, citing the need to address an overcrowded forensic patient population at the state’s existing facility in Galen. Lawmakers did not specify where the new facility should be built, and the Laurel site was selected in November, even though the communities of Hardin and Miles City had previously submitted bids to host it.
In its statement announcing the filing, Laurel C.A.R.E.D. said the request for a restraining order and injunction stems from legal and procedural concerns the group believes must be resolved before the project moves forward, framing the action as a matter of ensuring the state follows its own constitution, laws and established processes rather than opposition to mental health care itself. The group said it was seeking to preserve the status quo while those issues are reviewed, since many of the project’s impacts would be difficult to reverse once construction begins, and described the case as bearing on the rule of law for Montana communities beyond Laurel alone.