(725 ILCS 5/124B-125)

Sec. 124B-125. Real property exempt from forfeiture.

(a) An interest in real property is exempt from forfeiture under this Article if its owner or interest holder establishes by a preponderance of evidence that he or she meets all of the following requirements:

(1) He or she is not legally accountable for the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture, or did not solicit, conspire, or attempt to commit the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture.

(2) He or she had not acquired and did not stand to acquire substantial proceeds from the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture other than as an interest holder in an arms-length commercial transaction.

(3) He or she does not hold the property for the benefit of or as a nominee for any person whose conduct gave rise to the forfeiture, and, if he or she acquired the interest through any such person, he or she acquired it as a bona fide purchaser for value without knowingly taking part in the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture.

(4) He or she acquired the interest before a notice of seizure for forfeiture or a lis pendens notice with respect to the property was filed in the office of the recorder of deeds of the county in which the property is located and either:

(A) acquired the interest before the commencement of the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture, and the person whose conduct gave rise to the forfeiture did not have the authority to convey the interest to a bona fide purchaser for value at the time of the conduct; or

(B) acquired the interest after the commencement of the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture, and he or she acquired the interest as a mortgagee, secured creditor, lienholder, or bona fide purchaser for value without knowledge of the conduct that gave rise to the forfeiture.

(5) With respect to a property interest in existence at the time the illegal conduct giving rise to the forfeiture took place, he or she either:

(A) did not know of the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture; or

(B) upon learning of the conduct giving rise to the forfeiture, did all that reasonably could be expected under the circumstances to terminate that use of the property.

(6) The property is not a type of property, possession of which is otherwise in violation of law.

(b) For purposes of paragraph (5) of subsection (a), ways in which a person may show that he or she did all that reasonably could be expected include demonstrating that he or she, to the extent permitted by law, did either of the following:

(1) Gave timely notice to an appropriate law enforcement agency of information that led the person to know that the conduct giving rise to a forfeiture would occur or had occurred.

(2) In a timely fashion revoked or made a good faith attempt to revoke permission for those engaging in the conduct to use the property or took reasonable actions in consultation with a law enforcement agency to discourage or prevent the illegal use of the property.

A person is not required by this subsection (b) to take steps that the person reasonably believes would be likely to subject any person (other than the person whose conduct gave rise to the forfeiture) to physical danger.

(Source: P.A. 96-712, eff. 1-1-10; 97-813, eff. 7-13-12.)