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1 | AN ACT concerning civil law.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Illinois
Act Limiting Strategic Litigation Against Public
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6 | Participation. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Section 5. Findings and purposes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | (a) Findings. The General Assembly finds and declares that: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | (1) there has been a disturbing increase in lawsuits
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10 | brought primarily to chill the valid exercise of the
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11 | constitutional rights of freedom of speech and petition for | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | the redress of grievances; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | (2) such lawsuits, called "Strategic Lawsuits Against
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14 | Public Participation" or "SLAPPs", are typically dismissed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | as groundless or unconstitutional, but often not before the
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16 | defendants are put to great expense, harassment, and
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17 | interruption of their productive activities; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | (3) the costs associated with defending such suits can
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19 | deter individuals and entities from fully exercising their
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20 | constitutional rights to petition the government and to | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
21 | speak out on public issues; | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | (4) it is in the public interest for citizens to
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23 | participate in matters of public concern and provide |
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1 | information to public entities and other citizens on public | ||||||
2 | issues that affect them without fear of reprisal through | ||||||
3 | abuse of the judicial process; and | ||||||
4 | (5) an expedited judicial review would avoid the
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5 | potential for abuse in these cases. | ||||||
6 | (b) Purposes. The purposes of this Act are: | ||||||
7 | (1) to strike a balance between the rights of persons | ||||||
8 | to
file lawsuits and to trial by jury and the rights of | ||||||
9 | persons to
participate in matters of public concern;
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10 | (2) to establish an efficient, uniform, and
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11 | comprehensive method for speedy adjudication of SLAPPs;
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12 | and | ||||||
13 | (3) to provide for attorney's fees, costs, and
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14 | additional relief where appropriate.
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15 | Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
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16 | "Claim" includes any lawsuit, action, claim,
cross-claim, | ||||||
17 | counterclaim, or other judicial pleading or filing requesting | ||||||
18 | relief.
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19 | "Government" includes a branch, department, agency,
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20 | instrumentality, official, employee, agent, or other person
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21 | acting under color of law of the United States, a state or
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22 | subdivision of a state, a unit of local government, or any | ||||||
23 | other public authority.
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24 | "Moving party" means a person on whose behalf the
motion | ||||||
25 | described in Section 20 is filed seeking dismissal of a claim.
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1 | "Person" means an individual, corporation, business
trust, | ||||||
2 | estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, | ||||||
3 | association, joint venture, or any other legal or commercial | ||||||
4 | entity.
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5 | "Responding party" means a person against whom the
motion | ||||||
6 | described in Section 20 is filed.
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7 | Section 15. Scope; exclusion. | ||||||
8 | (a) Scope. This Act applies to any claim, however
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9 | characterized, that is based on an action involving public
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10 | participation and petition. As used in this Act, an "action
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11 | involving public participation and petition" includes: | ||||||
12 | (1) any oral statement made, or written statement or | ||||||
13 | other document submitted, in a legislative, executive, or
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14 | judicial proceeding or other proceeding authorized by law;
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15 | (2) any oral statement made, or written statement or
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16 | other document submitted, in connection with an issue under
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17 | consideration or review by a legislative, executive, or | ||||||
18 | judicial proceeding or other proceeding authorized by law;
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19 | (3) any oral statement made, or written statement or
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20 | other document submitted, that is reasonably likely to | ||||||
21 | encourage or to enlist public participation in an effort to | ||||||
22 | effect consideration or review of an issue in a | ||||||
23 | legislative, executive, or judicial proceeding or other | ||||||
24 | proceeding authorized by law;
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25 | (4) any oral statement made, or written statement or
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1 | other document submitted, in a place open to the public or | ||||||
2 | a public forum in connection with an issue of public | ||||||
3 | concern; or
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4 | (5) any other conduct in furtherance of the exercise of | ||||||
5 | the constitutional right of free speech in connection with | ||||||
6 | an issue of public concern or in furtherance of the | ||||||
7 | exercise of the constitutional right of petition.
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8 | (b) Exclusion. This Act does not apply to any action
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9 | brought by the Attorney General, a State's Attorney, or a | ||||||
10 | municipal attorney, acting as a public prosecutor, to enforce | ||||||
11 | laws aimed at public protection.
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12 | Section 20. Special motion to strike; burden of proof. | ||||||
13 | (a) A party may file a special motion to strike any claim
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14 | that is based on an action involving public participation and | ||||||
15 | petition, as defined in Section 15.
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16 | (b) A party filing a special motion to strike under this
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17 | Act has the initial burden of making a prima facie showing that | ||||||
18 | the claim against which the motion is made is based on an | ||||||
19 | action involving public participation and petition. If the | ||||||
20 | moving party meets this burden, the burden shifts to the | ||||||
21 | responding party to establish a probability of prevailing on | ||||||
22 | the claim by presenting substantial evidence to support a prima | ||||||
23 | facie case.
If the responding party meets this burden, the | ||||||
24 | court shall deny the motion.
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25 | (c) In making a determination under subsection (b), the
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1 | court shall consider pleadings and supporting and opposing
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2 | affidavits stating the facts upon which the liability or | ||||||
3 | defense is based.
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4 | (d) If the court determines that the responding party has
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5 | established a probability of prevailing on the claim: | ||||||
6 |
(1) the fact that the determination has been made and | ||||||
7 | the substance of the determination may not be admitted into
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8 | evidence at any later stage of the case; and
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9 | (2) the determination does not affect the burden of | ||||||
10 | proof or standard of proof that is applied in the | ||||||
11 | proceeding.
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12 | (e) The Attorney General's office or any government body
to | ||||||
13 | which the moving party's acts were directed may intervene to | ||||||
14 | defend or otherwise support the moving party.
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15 | Section 25. Required procedures. | ||||||
16 | (a) The special motion to strike may be filed within 60 | ||||||
17 | days after the service of the most recent complaint or, in the
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18 | court's discretion, at any later time upon terms it deems
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19 | proper. A hearing shall be held on the motion not more than 30 | ||||||
20 | days after the service of the motion unless the docket
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21 | conditions of the court require a later hearing.
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22 | (b) All discovery and any pending hearings or motions in
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23 | the action shall be stayed upon the filing of a special motion | ||||||
24 | to strike under Section 20. The stay of discovery shall remain | ||||||
25 | in effect until the entry of the order ruling on the motion.
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1 | Notwithstanding any stay imposed under this subsection, the | ||||||
2 | court, on motion and for good cause shown, may order that | ||||||
3 | specified discovery or other hearings or motions be conducted.
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4 | (c) Any party shall have a right of expedited appeal from
a | ||||||
5 | trial court order on the special motion or from a trial
court's | ||||||
6 | failure to rule on the motion in a timely fashion.
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7 | Section 30. Attorney's fees, costs, and other relief. | ||||||
8 | (a) The court shall award a moving party who prevails on a
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9 | special motion to strike made under Section 20, without regard | ||||||
10 | to any limits under State law: | ||||||
11 | (1) costs of litigation and any reasonable attorney's
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12 | fees incurred in connection with the motion; and
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13 | (2) such additional relief, including sanctions upon | ||||||
14 | the
responding party and its attorneys or law firms, as the | ||||||
15 | court determines shall be necessary to deter repetition of | ||||||
16 | the conduct and comparable conduct by others similarly | ||||||
17 | situated.
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18 | (b) If the court finds that the special motion to strike
is | ||||||
19 | frivolous or is solely intended to cause unnecessary delay, the | ||||||
20 | court shall award reasonable attorney's fees and costs to the | ||||||
21 | responding party.
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22 | Section 35. Relationship to other laws. Nothing in this Act
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23 | shall limit or preclude any rights the moving party may have | ||||||
24 | under any other constitutional, statutory, case, or common law, |
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1 | or rule provisions.
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2 | Section 40. Severability of provisions. If any provision of
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3 | this Act or its application to any person or circumstance is | ||||||
4 | held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions | ||||||
5 | or applications of this Act which can be given effect without | ||||||
6 | the invalid provision or application, and to this end the | ||||||
7 | provisions of this Act are severable.
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8 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
9 | becoming law.
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