Local Government Law

Monson v. The City of Danville

Illinois Supreme Court PLAs
Civil Court
Immunity
Citation
PLA issue Date: 
September 27, 2017
Docket Number: 
No. 122486
District: 
4th Dist.

This case presents question as to whether trial court properly granted defendant-city’s motion for summary judgment in plaintiff’s action seeking recovery for injuries sustained as result of her fall on defendant’s sidewalk, where basis of trial court’s ruling was finding that defendant was immune from plaintiff’s lawsuit under section 2-109 of Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act. Appellate Court, in affirming trial court, found that although defendant was aware of specific sidewalk in question, defendant was entitled to immunity under section 2-109, since defendant’s official used his discretion in determining which portions of sidewalks were in need of repair and which portions of sidewalks were not in need of repair. Ct. further noted that defendant would have retained immunity under 2-109 even if city official had inspected specific defect in sidewalk at issue in instant case and exercised discretion to do nothing, even if official’s determination could later be viewed as negligent.

Park Pet Shop, Inc. v. City of Chicago

Federal 7th Circuit Court
Civil Court
Commerce Clause
Citation
Case Number: 
No. 15-3711
Decision Date: 
September 21, 2017
Federal District: 
N.D. Ill., E. Div.
Holding: 
Affirmed

Dist. Ct. did not err in dismissing for failure to state valid cause of action plaintiffs-two pet stores and Missouri dog breeder’s action that challenged constitutionality of defendant-City’s “anti-puppy mill” ordinance that limited plaintiffs’ ability to sell dogs, cats and rabbits by requiring retail pet stores to obtain said animals only from animal control or care centers or animal kennels operated by local, state or federal govt. or humane societies. While plaintiffs argued that said ordinance exceeded defendant’s home rule powers under Ill. Constitution, as well as violated implied limits on state power imposed by Commerce Clause of U.S. Constitution, Ct. of Appeals rejected both claims, after finding that: (1) Ill. Constitution permits home rule units to regulate animal control and welfare concurrently with State; and (2) instant ordinance did not violate Commerce Clause, where ordinance did not discriminate against interstate commerce, and where ordinance did not require any special cost-benefit justification. Moreover, rational-basis review applied to instant case, and ordinance satisfied said review. (Partial dissent filed.)

Taylor v. Dart

Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Administrative Law
Citation
Case Number: 
2017 IL App (1st) 143684-B
Decision Date: 
Friday, May 12, 2017
District: 
1st Dist.
Division/County: 
Cook Co., 5th Div.
Holding: 
Certified questions answered;circuit court judgment affirmed.
Justice: 
HALL

(Court opinion corrected 8/31/17.) Decision of Cook County Sheriff's Merit Board was void because Merit Board was illegally constituted at time of decision to terminate Plaintiff's employment.  Decision of Merit Board is not valid because it is void. Cook County Board of Commissioners did not have home rule authority to approve Sheriff's interim appointment to Merit Board. (GORDON and LAMPKIN, concurring.)

Public Act 100-212

Topic: 
Illinois Administrative Procedure Act

(Barickman, R-Bloomington; Andersson, R-Geneva) ensures that the appeals by citizens in administrative review actions are not thrown out of court for a scrivener's error that is called a "misnomer."

(1) It requires that final administrative orders list all of the parties of record together with their last known address of record. The final order must also include whether there are any agency rules requiring a motion for reconsideration as a part of obtaining a reviewable final administrative decision and, if so, the citation to the rule.

(2) It prohibits an action for administrative review to be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction based on the misnomer of any agency that is properly served with summons issued in the action within the applicable time limits. It also prohibits dismissal for failure to perfectly name an agent if a timely action of administrative review has been filed that identifies the final administrative decision under review and makes a good faith effort to properly name the administrative agency.

(3) It allows a court to correct misnomers for an erroneous identification of the administrative agency that was made in good faith.

Effective August 18, 2017.

Board of Trustees of the City of Harvey Firefighters’ Pension Fund v. City of Harvey

Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Pension Code
Citation
Case Number: 
2017 IL App (1st) 153074
Decision Date: 
Friday, August 4, 2017
District: 
1st Dist.
Division/County: 
Cook Co., 5th Div.
Holding: 
Affirmed in part and reversed in part.
Justice: 
GORDON

City Firefighters' Pension Fund sued City, alleging that City underfunded Pension Fund and breached a 1996 settlement agreement in which City agreed to make certain contributions to Pension Fund. City violated Pension Fund's statutory rights, and City did violate the 1007 settlement agreement. Court correctly calculated Pension Fund's damages as $11.56 million, which is accumulation of damages from 2005 through 2014. Court correctly rejected City's affirmative defenses of separation of powers and laches. Pension Fund is on verge of default due to City's blatant disregard of Pension Fund for many years and City's severe lack of financial responsibility. (REYES, concurring; LAMPKIN, specially concurring.)

Youngberg v. The Village of Round Lake Beach

Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Ordinances
Citation
Case Number: 
2017 IL App (2d) 160539
Decision Date: 
Friday, July 14, 2017
District: 
2d Dist.
Division/County: 
Lake Co.
Holding: 
Affirmed.
Justice: 
BIRKETT

Village ordinance, which prohibits storage of unregistered vehicles on private land, is a valid exercise of village's police power. Plaintiff cannot challenge ordinance as applied, because there is no evidence that property in vicinity of Plaintiff's property is being used for storage of properly registered vehicles that do not operate on public streets.(HUTCHINSON and ZENOFF, concurring.)

Lyons Township ex rel Kielczynski v. Village of Indian Head Park

Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
False Claims Act
Citation
Case Number: 
2017 IL App (1st) 161574
Decision Date: 
Friday, March 24, 2017
District: 
1st Dist.
Division/County: 
Cook Co., 5th Div.
Holding: 
Reversed and remanded.
Justice: 
LAMPKIN

(Modified upon denial of rehearing 6/23/17.) Relator filed complaint under False Claims Act, and alleged that Village overbilled for policing services and failed to remit collections from traffic fines, in violation of its contract with Township. Court erred in finding that public disclosure bar prohibited relator's suit, where allegations supporting fraud claims as obtained by relator from FOIA responses were not from a source listed in Section 4(e)(4)(A) of False Claims Act. Thus, because relator's complaint did not fall within Act's threshold public disclosure jurisdictional bar, court erred in dismissing complaint. Court erred in applying Section 2-106 of Tort Immunity Act, as it does not apply as alleged fraudulent activity was based on written contract between Village and Township. Section 2-107 of Tort Immunity Act does not apply to immunize Township from liability. (HALL, concurring; GORDON, specially concurring.)

Affordable Recovery Housing v. City of Blue Island

Federal 7th Circuit Court
Civil Court
Illinois Religious Freedom Restoration Act
Citation
Case Number: 
No. 16-3677
Decision Date: 
June 21, 2017
Federal District: 
N.D. Ill., E. Div.
Holding: 
Affirmed

Dist. Ct. did not err in granting plaintiff’s motion for partial summary judgment in action seeking to enjoin order obtained by defendant to evict residents of plaintiff’s drug rehabilitation facilities, where said facilities lacked sprinkler system, since said residents were subsequently allowed to return to plaintiff’s facilities pursuant to issuance of license by Ill. Dept. of Human Services that designated plaintiff’s buildings as recovery houses that did not require installation of sprinkler system. Moreover, Dist. Ct. did not err in denying plaintiff’s claim that it was entitled to similar relief under Ill. Religious Freedom Restoration Act, since, although plaintiff argued that providing recovery services for drug-addicted men typified Christian charity, plaintiff failed to assert that sprinkler system requirement would have substantially burdened plaintiff’s religious exercise, even if it had complied with requirement for sprinkler installation.

Englum v. The City of Charleston

Illinois Appellate Court
Civil Court
Municipalities
Citation
Case Number: 
2017 IL App (4th) 160747
Decision Date: 
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
District: 
4th Dist.
Division/County: 
Coles Co.
Holding: 
Reversed.
Justice: 
STEIGMANN

Police officer for city which was non-home-rule municipality was injured while exiting his police car, and was awarded line-of-duty pension benefits due to injury. Court erred by deciding officer's eligibility based on his complaint for declaratory relief instead of allowing City to determine eligibility under its procedural scheme. Section 10-4-1 of Municipal Code granted City authority to enact the Ordinance which established procedural process to fulfill substantive requirements of Safety Benefits Act. (HARRIS and KNECHT, concurring.)

Senate Bill 584

Topic: 
Illinois Administrative Procedure Act

(Barickman, R-Bloomington; Andersson, R-Geneva) ensures that the appeals by citizens in administrative review actions are not thrown out of court for a scrivener’s error that is called a “misnomer.” Senate Bill 584 amends the Administrative Procedure Act and the Administrative Review Law to provide a means for correcting good-faith failures to perfectly name necessary parties in actions for administrative review. The proposed legislation would do several things to resolve this problem.

Requires that final administrative orders list all of the parties of record together with their last known address of record. The final order must also include whether there are any agency rules requiring a motion for reconsideration as a part of obtaining a reviewable final administrative decision and, if so, the citation to the rule.  

Prohibits an action for administrative review to be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction based on the misnomer of any agency that is properly served with summons issued in the action within the applicable time limits. It also prohibits dismissal for failure to perfectly name an agent if a timely action of administrative review has been filed that identifies the final administrative decision under review and makes a good faith effort to properly name the administrative agency.

Allows a court to correct misnomers for an erroneous identification of the administrative agency that was made in good faith.

Passed both chambers; effective on the Governor’s signature.