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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 5. The Citizen Participation
Act is amended by | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
5 | changing Sections 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | (735 ILCS 110/5)
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7 | Sec. 5. Public policy. Pursuant to the fundamental | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | philosophy of the
American
constitutional form of government, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | it is declared to be the public policy of
the State of Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | that the constitutional rights of citizens and
organizations to | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | be involved and participate freely in the process of
government | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | must be
encouraged and safeguarded with great diligence. The | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | information, reports,
opinions, claims, arguments, and other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | expressions provided by citizens are
vital to effective law | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | enforcement, the operation of government, the making of
public | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | policy and decisions, and the continuation of representative | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
17 | democracy.
The laws, courts, and other agencies of this State | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
18 | must provide the utmost
protection for the free exercise of | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | these rights of petition, speech,
association, and
government | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20 | participation.
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21 | Civil actions for money damages have been filed against | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
22 | citizens and
organizations of this State as a result of their | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23 | valid exercise of their
constitutional rights to petition, |
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1 | speak freely, associate freely, and
otherwise
participate in | ||||||
2 | and communicate with government. There has been a disturbing
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3 | increase in lawsuits termed "Strategic Lawsuits Against Public | ||||||
4 | Participation"
in
government or "SLAPPs" as they are popularly | ||||||
5 | called.
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6 | The threat of SLAPPs
significantly chills and diminishes | ||||||
7 | citizen participation in government,
voluntary public service, | ||||||
8 | and the exercise of these important constitutional
rights. This | ||||||
9 | abuse of the judicial process can and has been used as a means | ||||||
10 | of
intimidating, harassing, or punishing citizens and | ||||||
11 | organizations for involving
themselves in public affairs.
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12 | It is in the public interest and it is the purpose of this | ||||||
13 | Act to strike a
balance between the rights of persons to file | ||||||
14 | lawsuits for injury and the
constitutional rights of persons to | ||||||
15 | petition, speak freely, associate freely,
and
otherwise | ||||||
16 | participate in government; to protect and encourage public
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17 | participation in government to the maximum extent permitted by | ||||||
18 | law; to
establish an efficient process for identification and | ||||||
19 | adjudication of SLAPPs; to identify and provide a speedy | ||||||
20 | resolution of meritless, retaliatory claims;
and to provide | ||||||
21 | damages in the form of for attorney's fees and costs
to | ||||||
22 | prevailing movants.
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23 | (Source: P.A. 95-506, eff. 8-28-07.) | ||||||
24 | (735 ILCS 110/10)
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25 | Sec. 10. Definitions.
In this Act:
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1 | "Government" includes a branch, department, agency,
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2 | instrumentality, official, employee, agent, or other person | ||||||
3 | acting under color
of law of the United States, a state, a | ||||||
4 | subdivision of a state, or another
public authority including | ||||||
5 | the electorate.
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6 | "Person" includes any individual, corporation, | ||||||
7 | association,
organization, partnership, 2 or more persons | ||||||
8 | having a joint or common
interest, or other legal entity.
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9 | "Judicial claim" or "claim" include any lawsuit, cause of
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10 | action, claim, cross-claim, counterclaim, or other judicial | ||||||
11 | pleading or filing
alleging injury.
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12 | "Motion" includes any motion to dismiss, for summary
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13 | judgment, or to strike, or any other judicial pleading filed to | ||||||
14 | dispose
of a judicial claim , made prior to filing an answer to | ||||||
15 | the judicial claim .
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16 | "Moving party" means any person on whose behalf a motion
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17 | described in subsection (a) of Section 20 is filed seeking | ||||||
18 | dismissal of a
judicial claim.
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19 | "Responding party" means any person against whom a motion
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20 | described in subsection (a) of Section 20 is filed.
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21 | (Source: P.A. 95-506, eff. 8-28-07.) | ||||||
22 | (735 ILCS 110/15)
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23 | Sec. 15. Applicability.
This Act applies to any motion to | ||||||
24 | dispose of a meritless, retaliatory claim in a judicial | ||||||
25 | proceeding
on the grounds that the claim is based on, relates |
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1 | to, or is in response to any
act or acts of the moving party in | ||||||
2 | furtherance of the moving party's rights of
petition, speech, | ||||||
3 | association, or to otherwise participate in government.
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4 | A claim is meritless if it lacks an essential element of | ||||||
5 | the claim or fails against a reasonably foreseeable affirmative | ||||||
6 | defense to that claim. A claim shall be presumed retaliatory if | ||||||
7 | the alleged act or acts forming the basis of the claim are or | ||||||
8 | would be in furtherance of the constitutional rights to | ||||||
9 | petition, speech, association, and participation in | ||||||
10 | government. | ||||||
11 | Acts in furtherance of the constitutional rights to | ||||||
12 | petition, speech,
association, and participation in government | ||||||
13 | are immune from liability,
regardless of intent or purpose, | ||||||
14 | except when not genuinely aimed at procuring
favorable | ||||||
15 | government action, result, or outcome.
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16 | (Source: P.A. 95-506, eff. 8-28-07.) | ||||||
17 | (735 ILCS 110/20)
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18 | Sec. 20. Motion procedure and standards.
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19 | (a) On the filing of any motion as described in Section 15, | ||||||
20 | a hearing and
decision on the motion must occur within 90 days | ||||||
21 | after notice of the motion is
given to the
respondent.
An | ||||||
22 | appellate
court shall expedite any appeal or other writ, | ||||||
23 | whether interlocutory or not,
from a trial court order denying | ||||||
24 | that motion or from a trial court's failure to
rule on that | ||||||
25 | motion within 90 days after that trial court order or failure |
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1 | to
rule.
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2 | (b) Discovery shall be suspended pending a decision on the | ||||||
3 | motion. However,
discovery may be taken, upon leave of court | ||||||
4 | for good cause shown, on the issue
of whether the movants
acts | ||||||
5 | are not immunized from, or are not in furtherance of acts | ||||||
6 | immunized
from, liability by this Act.
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7 | (c) The court shall grant the motion and dismiss the | ||||||
8 | judicial claim unless
the court finds that the responding party | ||||||
9 | has produced clear and convincing
evidence that the acts of the | ||||||
10 | moving party are not immunized from, or are not
in
furtherance | ||||||
11 | of acts immunized from, liability by this Act. | ||||||
12 | (d) A motion described in Section 15 may be made under | ||||||
13 | Section 2-615, 2-619, 2-619.1, or 2-1005 of the Code of Civil | ||||||
14 | Procedure or similar provisions of federal or other states' | ||||||
15 | laws and rules. A motion made under Section 2-619 of the Code | ||||||
16 | of Civil Procedure may place in dispute, by affidavits and | ||||||
17 | other proof, any allegation pled in support of a claim.
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18 | (Source: P.A. 95-506, eff. 8-28-07.) | ||||||
19 | (735 ILCS 110/25)
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20 | Sec. 25. Attorney's fees and costs.
The court shall award a | ||||||
21 | moving party who prevails in a motion under this Act
reasonable | ||||||
22 | attorney's fees and costs incurred in connection with the | ||||||
23 | motion.
As used in this Section, "attorney's fees and costs" | ||||||
24 | include reasonable trial and appellate attorney's fees and | ||||||
25 | costs incurred in connection with a motion under this Act, |
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1 | including, but not limited to, fees and costs for discovery | ||||||
2 | that relates to a motion under this Act.
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3 | (Source: P.A. 95-506, eff. 8-28-07.)
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