82-15-203. Discrimination in price of petroleum products. (1) Any person, firm, company, association, or corporation, either domestic or foreign, doing business in the state of Montana and engaged in the selling of any standard petroleum product that shall demand or collect from any person or customer a higher price for any standard petroleum product in one part of the state of Montana than the price being demanded or collected at substantially the same time by such person, firm, company, association, or corporation from other persons or customers in another part of the state of Montana or in the nearest adjoining state for a like article of standard petroleum product shall be guilty of discrimination which is hereby declared to be a fraud and the agents or officers of such person, firm, company, association, or corporation participating, guilty of a misdemeanor.
(2) In the trial of an action under the provisions of this part, in the determination of the justification of the price demanded or collected by a person, firm, company, association, or corporation charged with a violation of the provisions of this part, transportation, quantity of sales, emergencies, cost of doing business, or similar differences under the respective conditions may be offered as a matter of defense or justification for the differences in price demanded or collected. When competent evidence is offered in the trial of any action under this part of a demand for or the receipt of a higher price for any standard petroleum product in the state of Montana by any person, firm, company, association, or corporation than such person, firm, company, association, or corporation demanded, collected, or received at substantially the same time for the same or a similar article of standard petroleum product in another part of the state of Montana or in the nearest adjoining state, the burden of proof shall then be upon such person, firm, company, association, or corporation or agents or officers on trial to prove that the difference in the price demanded or collected was justified.