(740 ILCS 92/20)

Sec. 20. Role of State's Attorney or Attorney General.

(a) If the State's Attorney or Attorney General proceeds with the action, he or she shall have the primary responsibility for prosecuting the action, and shall not be bound by an act of the person bringing the action. That person shall have the right to continue as a party to the action, subject to the limitations set forth in subsection (b).

(b) The State's Attorney or Attorney General may dismiss the action notwithstanding the objections of the person initiating the action if the person has been notified by the State's Attorney or Attorney General of the filing of the motion, and the court has provided the person with an opportunity for a hearing on the motion.

The State's Attorney or Attorney General may settle the action with the defendant notwithstanding the objections of the person initiating the action if the court determines, after a hearing, that the proposed settlement is fair, adequate, and reasonable under all the circumstances. Upon a showing of good cause, the hearing may be held in camera.

Upon a showing by the State's Attorney or Attorney General that unrestricted participation during the course of the litigation by the person initiating the action would interfere with or unduly delay the State's Attorney's or Attorney General's prosecution of the case, or would be repetitious, irrelevant, or for purposes of harassment, the court may, in its discretion, impose limitations on the person's participation, including, but not limited to, the following:

(1) limiting the number of witnesses the person may call;

(2) limiting the length of the testimony of those witnesses;

(3) limiting the person's cross-examination of witnesses; and

(4) otherwise limiting the participation by the person in the litigation.

Upon a showing by the defendant that unrestricted participation during the course of the litigation by the person initiating the action would be for purposes of harassment or would cause the defendant undue burden or unnecessary expense, the court may limit the participation by the person in the litigation.

(c) If the State's Attorney or Attorney General elects not to proceed with the action, the person who initiated the action shall have the right to conduct the action. If the State's Attorney or Attorney General so requests, he or she shall be served with copies of all pleadings filed in the action and shall be supplied with copies of all deposition transcripts, at the State's Attorney's or Attorney General's expense. When a person proceeds with the action, the court, without limiting the status and rights of the person initiating the action, may nevertheless permit the State's Attorney or Attorney General to intervene at a later date upon a showing of good cause.

(d) If at any time both a civil action for penalties and equitable relief pursuant to this Act and a criminal action are pending against a defendant for substantially the same conduct, whether brought by the government or a private party, the civil action shall be stayed until the criminal action has been concluded at the trial court level. The stay shall not preclude the court from granting or enforcing temporary equitable relief while the actions are pending. Whether or not the State's Attorney or Attorney General proceeds with the action, upon a showing by the State's Attorney or Attorney General that certain actions of discovery by the person initiating the action would interfere with a law enforcement or governmental agency investigation or prosecution of a criminal or civil matter arising out of the same facts, the court may stay discovery for a period of not more than 180 days. A hearing on a request for the stay shall be conducted in camera. The court may extend the 180-day period upon a further showing in camera that the agency has pursued the criminal or civil investigation or proceedings with reasonable diligence and any proposed discovery in the civil action will interfere with the ongoing criminal or civil investigation or proceedings.

(e) Notwithstanding Section 15, the State's Attorney or Attorney General may elect to pursue its claim through any alternate remedy available to the State's Attorney or Attorney General.

(Source: P.A. 92-233, eff. 1-1-02.)