Business Advice and Financial Planning

Mayster v. Santacruz

Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Breach of Contract
Citation
Case Number: 
2020 IL App (2d) 190840
Decision Date: 
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
District: 
2d Dist.
Division/County: 
Lake Co.
Holding: 
Affirmed.
Justice: 
ZENOFF

Breach of contract action involving purchase and sale of a math tutoring franchise. After bench trial, court found that Defendant wrongfully terminated the purchase contract but that Plaintiff was precluded from collecting damages because of its complete failure to mitigate its losses. Court properly applied doctrine of avoidable consequences. Plaintiff could have avoided all of its damages if they had accepted Defendant's offer to reinstate the APA. Plaintiff attached a condition that was so onerous that it killed the transaction and then tried to selling the franchise at a higher price but closed the business voluntarily, for personal reasons. Plaintiff had an obligation to sell the franchise at whatever price she could. Court's finding that Plaintiff made no reasonable efforts to mitigate its damages was not against manifest weight of evidence. (HUDSON and SCHOSTOK, concurring.)

Performance Food Group, Inc. v. Ariva Hospitality, Inc.

Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Guarantee
Citation
Case Number: 
2020 IL App (3d) 190409
Decision Date: 
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
District: 
3d Dist.
Division/County: 
Rock Island Co.
Holding: 
Affirmed.
Justice: 
WRIGHT

Plaintiff sold food products to hotel, on a line of credit under a customer account application, which was subject to the personal guarantee of the hotel's general manager who later left his employment there. Two years later, Plaintiff filed small claims complaint against hotel (whose owner could not be located for service) and its former general manager. Former manager did not approve the purchase order in dispute. Although guarantee was of unlimited duration, court properly found that guarantee was enforceable for a reasonable amount of time but was not enforceable indefinitely. Former manager's secondary obligation was not "triggered" until hotel defaulted on its payments for food products 2 years after he left employment by hotel, and it would be unreasonable to hold him liable for this debt. (CARTER, concurring; McDADE, dissenting.)

Excecutive Order 214

Topic: 
Executive Order for notaries and witnesses

was issued by Governor Pritzker yesterday. It orders the following for the duration of the Gubernatorial Disaster Proclamation for COVIR-19:

(1) the requirement that a person must "appear before" a notary public commissioned under the Illinois Notary Public Act is satisfied if: the notary public performs a remote notarization via two-way audio-video communication technology; the notary public is physically within the State while performing the notarial act; and the transaction follows the guidance posted by the Illinois Secretary of State on its website;

(2) any act of witnessing required by Illinois law may be completed remotely by via two-way audio-video communication technology if specified requirements are met;

(3) specified provisions of the Electronic Commerce Security Act that prohibit electronic signatures on certain documents remain in full effect;

(4) notwithstanding any law or rule of the State to the contrary, absent an express prohibition in a document against signing in counterparts, all legal documents, including deeds, last wills and testaments, trusts, durable powers of attorney for property, and powers of attorney for health care, may be signed in counterparts by the witnesses and the signatory; a notary public must be presented with a fax or electronic copy of the document signature pages showing the witness signatures on the same date the document is signed by the signatory if the notary public is being asked to certify to the appearance of the witnesses to a document.

Senate Bill 3417

Topic: 
Electronic conveyances

(Koehler, D-Peoria) amends the Conveyances Act to provide that if the Act requires information to be in writing or delivered in writing, or provides for consequences if it is not, an electronic record or electronic delivery satisfies that requirement. If the Act requires a deed, instrument, record, or other document or information to be executed, signed, or subscribed to in writing, an electronic signature or digital signature satisfies that requirement. Assigned to the Committee on Assignments.

Senate Bill 3128

(Crowe, D-Wood River) amends the Criminal Code of 2012 concerning the offense of financial exploitation of an elderly person or a person with a disability. Expands the scope of "person who stands in a position of trust and confidence" to include a friend or acquaintance of the elderly person or person with a disability who is in a position of trust. Assigned to the Committee on Assignments. 
 

Asian Human Services Family Health Center, Inc. v. Asian Human Services, Inc.

Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Declaratory Actions
Citation
Case Number: 
2020 IL App (1st) 191049
Decision Date: 
Friday, February 14, 2020
District: 
1st Dist.
Division/County: 
Cook Co., 5th Div.
Holding: 
Affirmed.
Justice: 
HALL

(Court opinion corrected 2/21/20.) As a matter of law, generally, an independent auditor does not owe a fiduciary duty to its client.  The fact that the client trusts the auditor does not amount to special circumstances creating a fiduciary duty. (HOFFMAN and ROCHFORD, concurring.)

Senate Bill 3852

Topic: 
Adult Protective Services Act and mandated reporters

(Villivalam, D-Chicago) expands the definition of "mandated reporter" to include a person who performs the duties of a banker, broker, investor, investment advisor, attorney, financial consultant or financial advisor, broker-dealer, or administrator, regulator, or supervisor of any of the foregoing. Just introduced. 

Senate Bill 3840

Topic: 
Medicaid spend-down

(Villivalam, D-Chicago) Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. It provides that a person who uses Medicaid spend-down to qualify for medical assistance may not be eligible for medical assistance if the person does not meet his or her monthly spend-down for six consecutive months. Just introduced. 

To Deduct or Not to Deduct?

February
2020
Article
, Page 18
Figuring out what’s tax deductible, from office coffee to team-building retreats.

Protecting Your Credit After Data Breaches

October
2019
Article
, Page 18
As data breaches occur with more frequency, protecting your credit becomes top of mind.