102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB5180

 

Introduced 1/31/2022, by Rep. Will Guzzardi

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
735 ILCS 5/9-121
815 ILCS 505/2Z  from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 262Z

    Amends the Eviction Article of the Code of Civil Procedure. Removes language providing for the discretionary sealing of a court file and the mandatory sealing of a court file. Provides that a court file shall be impounded upon the commencement of any residential eviction action. Allows the court to unimpound a court file if a judgment is entered in favor of the landlord, except for specified circumstances. Requires the court to impound the court file of any residential eviction case initiated 7 or more years prior to the amendatory Act regardless of the disposition of the case. Allows a tenant to file a motion to impound a court file for any residential eviction case filed less than 7 years ago that was not impounded. Requires an impounded or sealed court file to be made available only to a litigant in the case, litigant's counsel or prospective counsel, public employee responsible for processing the residential eviction action, and State or local government employee or contractor responsible for processing court-based rental assistance. Allows a scholarly, public policy, or court reform agency or educational, journalistic, or governmental body to access all impounded files by filing a motion with the judge presiding over evictions in that judicial district or county. Provides that any person who disseminates a sealed or impounded court file, or the information contained therein, for commercial purposes is liable for a civil penalty of $2,000 or twice the actual and consequential damages sustained, whichever is greater, as well as the costs of the action, including reasonable attorney's fees. Allows the Attorney General to enforce violations of the amendatory Act. Provides that a tenant need not report a court record that is sealed or impounded to a prospective landlord. Makes a conforming change in the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. Effective immediately.


LRB102 25306 LNS 34579 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5180LRB102 25306 LNS 34579 b

1    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Code of Civil Procedure is amended by
5changing Section 9-121 as follows:
 
6    (735 ILCS 5/9-121)
7    Sec. 9-121. Impounding Sealing of court file.
8    (a) Definition. As used in this Section: ,
9    "Court court file" means the court file created when an
10eviction action is filed with the court.
11    "Impound" or "impoundment" means to bar access to a court
12file to anyone other than a person listed in subsections (f)
13and (g).
14    (b) The court file shall be impounded upon the
15commencement of any residential eviction action. Discretionary
16sealing of court file. The court may order that a court file in
17an eviction action be placed under seal if the court finds that
18the plaintiff's action is sufficiently without a basis in fact
19or law, which may include a lack of jurisdiction, that placing
20the court file under seal is clearly in the interests of
21justice, and that those interests are not outweighed by the
22public's interest in knowing about the record.
23    (c) If the court enters a judgment in favor of the

 

 

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1landlord, the court may unimpound the court file. The court
2shall not unimpound the file if:
3        (1) the eviction action was brought against a tenant
4    under Section 9-207.5 or as set forth in paragraph (6) of
5    subsection (h) of Section 15-1701;
6        (2) the eviction action was brought against a tenant
7    or occupant as set forth in paragraph (7) of subsection
8    (a) of Section 9-102 and the court did not find that a
9    tenant or occupant materially violated the lease or
10    covenants, rules, regulations, or bylaws of the
11    condominium;
12        (3) the interests of justice in impounding the court
13    file outweigh the public interest in maintaining a public
14    record;
15        (4) the parties to the eviction action agree the court
16    file shall remain impounded; or
17        (5) the complaint did not allege a material lease
18    violation by the tenant. Mandatory sealing of court file.
19    The court file relating to an eviction action brought
20    against a tenant under Section 9-207.5 of this Code or as
21    set forth in subdivision (h)(6) of Section 15-1701 of this
22    Code shall be placed under seal.
23    (d) For any residential eviction case initiated 7 or more
24years prior to this amendatory Act of the 102nd General
25Assembly, the court shall impound the court file regardless of
26the disposition of the case. Thereafter, the court shall

 

 

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1impound the court file if the case was initiated 7 years prior
2regardless of the disposition of the case. This Section is
3operative on and after August 1, 2022.
4    (e) For any residential eviction case filed less than 7
5years ago that was not impounded under subsection (b), the
6tenant may file a motion to impound the court file. The court
7shall impound the record according to the standard for
8impounding established in subsection (c) or if the court has
9not entered a judgment against the tenant.
10    (f) An impounded or sealed court file shall be made
11available, without submitting a motion, only to a litigant in
12the case, litigant's counsel or prospective counsel, public
13employee responsible for processing the residential eviction
14action, and State or local government employee or contractor
15responsible for processing court-based rental assistance.
16Prospective counsel shall present a request in substantially
17the form provided below. Upon presenting this form to the
18office of the clerk of the court, the clerk shall make the file
19available to the prospective counsel.
20    "Article IX of the Code of Civil Procedure allows a party
21    to an eviction case, and the party's counsel and
22    prospective counsel, to access the party's impounded or
23    sealed eviction court file. The undersigned (and employees
24    of the undersigned's law office, if applicable) may
25    present this certificate to the clerk of the circuit court
26    to review the above-captioned impounded or sealed eviction

 

 

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1    file. To protect the party's right to confidentiality,
2    this certificate shall not be filed or served on other
3    parties."
4    (g) A scholarly, public policy, or court reform agency or
5educational, journalistic, or governmental body may access all
6impounded files by filing a motion with the judge presiding
7over evictions in that judicial district or county. The
8presiding judge shall grant the motion and enter an order of
9the court to that effect upon a showing of scholarly,
10educational, public policy, court reform, journalistic, or
11governmental credential and purpose. Identifying information
12of the parties shall remain impounded, unless the court
13determines that release of the information is necessary to
14fulfill the purpose of the request and the interests of
15justice so dictate. Nothing in this subsection shall permit
16the release of an impounded court file or the information
17contained therein for a commercial purpose. The public policy
18agency may include a legal aid provider; however, the file
19shall be used only for its public policy purposes.
20    (h) Except as provided in subsections (g) and (f), any
21person who disseminates a sealed or impounded court file under
22this Section, or the information contained therein, for
23commercial purposes shall be liable for a civil penalty of
24$2,000 or twice the actual and consequential damages
25sustained, whichever is greater, as well as the costs of the
26action, including reasonable attorney's fees.

 

 

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1    (i) The Attorney General may enforce a violation of this
2Section as an unlawful practice under the Consumer Fraud and
3Deceptive Business Practices Act. All remedies, penalties, and
4authority granted to the Attorney General by the Consumer
5Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act shall be available
6to the Attorney General for the enforcement of this Section.
7    (j) Nothing in this Section prohibits a landlord from
8receiving a reference from a previous landlord of a
9prospective tenant. Nothing in this Section prohibits a
10landlord from providing a reference for a previous or current
11tenant to a prospective landlord of that tenant.
12    (k) A tenant need not report a court record that is sealed
13or impounded to a prospective landlord.
14(Source: P.A. 102-5, eff. 5-17-21.)
 
15    Section 10. The Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business
16Practices Act is amended by adding Section 2Z as follows:
 
17    (815 ILCS 505/2Z)  (from Ch. 121 1/2, par. 262Z)
18    Sec. 2Z. Violations of other Acts. Any person who
19knowingly violates the Automotive Repair Act, the Automotive
20Collision Repair Act, the Home Repair and Remodeling Act, the
21Dance Studio Act, the Physical Fitness Services Act, the
22Hearing Instrument Consumer Protection Act, the Illinois Union
23Label Act, the Installment Sales Contract Act, the Job
24Referral and Job Listing Services Consumer Protection Act, the

 

 

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1Travel Promotion Consumer Protection Act, the Credit Services
2Organizations Act, the Automatic Telephone Dialers Act, the
3Pay-Per-Call Services Consumer Protection Act, the Telephone
4Solicitations Act, the Illinois Funeral or Burial Funds Act,
5the Cemetery Oversight Act, the Cemetery Care Act, the Safe
6and Hygienic Bed Act, the Illinois Pre-Need Cemetery Sales
7Act, the High Risk Home Loan Act, the Payday Loan Reform Act,
8the Predatory Loan Prevention Act, the Mortgage Rescue Fraud
9Act, subsection (a) or (b) of Section 3-10 of the Cigarette Tax
10Act, subsection (a) or (b) of Section 3-10 of the Cigarette Use
11Tax Act, the Electronic Mail Act, the Internet Caller
12Identification Act, paragraph (6) of subsection (k) of Section
136-305 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, Section 11-1431, 18d-115,
1418d-120, 18d-125, 18d-135, 18d-150, or 18d-153 of the Illinois
15Vehicle Code, Section 9-121 of the Code of Civil Procedure,
16Article 3 of the Residential Real Property Disclosure Act, the
17Automatic Contract Renewal Act, the Reverse Mortgage Act,
18Section 25 of the Youth Mental Health Protection Act, the
19Personal Information Protection Act, or the Student Online
20Personal Protection Act commits an unlawful practice within
21the meaning of this Act.
22(Source: P.A. 100-315, eff. 8-24-17; 100-416, eff. 1-1-18;
23100-863, eff. 8-14-18; 101-658, eff. 3-23-21.)
 
24    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
25becoming law.