State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

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[ Introduced ][ House Amendment 001 ]

90_HB0046eng

      235 ILCS 5/6-21           from Ch. 43, par. 135
          Amends the Liquor Control  Act.   Eliminates  the  dollar
      limits  on  recoveries  in actions against a person who sells
      (or, under specified circumstances,  provides)  liquor  to  a
      person  who  becomes  intoxicated  and causes death, personal
      injury, or property damage.
                                                     LRB9000739LDdv
HB0046 Engrossed                               LRB9000739LDdv
 1        AN ACT to  amend  the  Liquor  Control  Act  of  1934  by
 2    changing Section 6-21.
 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section 5.  The Liquor Control Act of 1934 is amended  by
 6    changing Section 6-21 as follows:
 7        (235 ILCS 5/6-21) (from Ch. 43, par. 135)
 8        Sec.  6-21.   (a) Every person who is injured within this
 9    State, in person or property, by any intoxicated person has a
10    right of action in his or her own name, severally or jointly,
11    against any person, licensed under the laws of this State  or
12    of  any other state to sell alcoholic liquor, who, by selling
13    or giving alcoholic liquor, within or without the territorial
14    limits of this State, causes the intoxication of such person.
15    Any person at least 21 years of age who pays for a  hotel  or
16    motel  room  or facility knowing that the room or facility is
17    to be used by any person  under  21  years  of  age  for  the
18    unlawful   consumption   of   alcoholic   liquors   and  such
19    consumption causes the intoxication of the  person  under  21
20    years of age, shall be liable to any person who is injured in
21    person  or  property by the intoxicated person under 21 years
22    of age. Any person owning, renting, leasing or permitting the
23    occupation of any building or premises  with  knowledge  that
24    alcoholic  liquors  are  to  be  sold  therein, or who having
25    leased the same for other purposes,  shall  knowingly  permit
26    therein  the  sale  of any alcoholic liquors that have caused
27    the intoxication of any person, shall be liable, severally or
28    jointly, with the  person  selling  or  giving  the  liquors.
29    However,  if  such  building or premises belong to a minor or
30    other person under guardianship the guardian of  such  person
31    shall be held liable instead of the ward. A married woman has
HB0046 Engrossed            -2-                LRB9000739LDdv
 1    the  same right to bring the action and to control it and the
 2    amount recovered as an unmarried woman. All damages recovered
 3    by a minor under this Act shall be paid either to the  minor,
 4    or to his or her parent, guardian or next friend as the court
 5    shall  direct.  The unlawful sale or gift of alcoholic liquor
 6    works a forfeiture of all rights  of  the  lessee  or  tenant
 7    under  any  lease or contract of rent upon the premises where
 8    the unlawful sale  or  gift  takes  place.  All  actions  for
 9    damages  under  this  Act may be by any appropriate action in
10    the circuit court. An action shall lie for injuries to  means
11    of support or loss of society caused by an intoxicated person
12    or in consequence of the intoxication of any person resulting
13    as  hereinabove  set out. The action, if the person from whom
14    support or society was furnished is living, shall be  brought
15    by  any  person injured in means of support or society in his
16    or her name for his or her benefit and  the  benefit  of  all
17    other  persons  injured  in  means  of  support  or  society.
18    However,  any  person  claiming  to  be  injured  in means of
19    support or society and not included  in  any  action  brought
20    hereunder  may  join  by  motion made within the times herein
21    provided  for  bringing   such   action   or   the   personal
22    representative  of the deceased person from whom such support
23    or society was furnished may so join. In  every  such  action
24    the  jury  shall  determine  the  amount  of  damages  to  be
25    recovered  without regard to and with no special instructions
26    as to the dollar limits on recovery imposed by this  Section.
27    The  amount  recovered  in  every  such  action  is  for  the
28    exclusive benefit of the person injured in loss of support or
29    society  and  shall  be  distributed  to  such persons in the
30    proportions determined by the verdict  rendered  or  judgment
31    entered  in  the action. If the right of action is settled by
32    agreement with the  personal  representative  of  a  deceased
33    person  from whom support or society was furnished, the court
34    having jurisdiction of the  estate  of  the  deceased  person
HB0046 Engrossed            -3-                LRB9000739LDdv
 1    shall  distribute  the amount of the settlement to the person
 2    injured in loss of support or society in the  proportion,  as
 3    determined by the court, that the percentage of dependency of
 4    each such person upon the deceased person bears to the sum of
 5    the  percentages  of  dependency of all such persons upon the
 6    deceased person. For all causes of action  involving  persons
 7    injured,   killed,   or   incurring  property  damage  before
 8    September 12,  1985,  in  no  event  shall  the  judgment  or
 9    recovery  under  this  Act for injury to the person or to the
10    property of any person as hereinabove set out exceed $15,000,
11    and recovery under this Act for  loss  of  means  of  support
12    resulting  from  the  death  or  injury  of  any  person,  as
13    hereinabove set out, shall not exceed $20,000. For all causes
14    of  action  involving  persons  injured, killed, or incurring
15    property damage after September 12, 1985 but  before  January
16    1,  1998,  in  no  event  shall  the judgment or recovery for
17    injury to the person or property of any person exceed $30,000
18    for each person incurring damages, and  recovery  under  this
19    Act  for loss of means of support resulting from the death or
20    injury of any person shall not exceed $40,000. For all causes
21    of action involving persons  injured,  killed,  or  incurring
22    property  damage  on  or  after  January 1, 1998, in no event
23    shall the judgment or recovery for injury to  the  person  or
24    property  of  any  person  exceed  $55,000  for  each  person
25    incurring  damages,  and  recovery under this Act for loss of
26    means of support resulting from the death or  injury  of  any
27    person shall not exceed $65,000.  Recovery under this Act for
28    loss  of  society  resulting  from the death or injury of any
29    person, as set out in this Section, shall not exceed $65,000.
30    Nothing in this Section bars any person from making  separate
31    claims  which,  in  the aggregate, exceed any one limit where
32    such person incurs more than one type of compensable  damage,
33    including personal injury, property damage, and loss to means
34    of support or society.  However, all persons claiming loss to
HB0046 Engrossed            -4-                LRB9000739LDdv
 1    means  of support or society shall be limited to an aggregate
 2    recovery not to exceed the single limitation set forth herein
 3    for the death or injury of each person from whom  support  or
 4    society is claimed.
 5        Nothing  in this Act shall be construed to confer a cause
 6    of action for injuries to  the  person  or  property  of  the
 7    intoxicated person himself, nor shall anything in this Act be
 8    construed  to  confer  a cause of action for loss of means of
 9    support or society on the intoxicated person  himself  or  on
10    any  person  claiming  to  be  supported  by such intoxicated
11    person or claiming the society of such person. In conformance
12    with the rule of statutory  construction  enunciated  in  the
13    general  Illinois saving provision in Section 4 of "An Act to
14    revise the  law  in  relation  to  the  construction  of  the
15    statutes",  approved  March 5, 1874, as amended, no amendment
16    of this Section purporting to abolish or having the effect of
17    abolishing a cause of action shall be applied to invalidate a
18    cause  of  action  accruing  before   its   effective   date,
19    irrespective  of  whether  the amendment was passed before or
20    after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1986.
21        Each action hereunder shall be  barred  unless  commenced
22    within one year next after the cause of action accrued.
23        However,  a  licensed  distributor  or  brewer whose only
24    connection with the furnishing of alcoholic liquor  which  is
25    alleged  to  have  caused  intoxication was the furnishing or
26    maintaining of any apparatus for the dispensing or cooling of
27    beer is not liable under this Section, and if  such  licensee
28    is  named as a defendant, a proper motion to dismiss shall be
29    granted.
30        (b)  Any person licensed under any state or local law  to
31    sell  alcoholic  liquor, whether or not a citizen or resident
32    of this State, who in person or through an agent  causes  the
33    intoxication, by the sale or gift of alcoholic liquor, of any
34    person who, while intoxicated, causes injury to any person or
HB0046 Engrossed            -5-                LRB9000739LDdv
 1    property  in  the  State  of  Illinois  thereby  submits such
 2    licensed person, and, if an individual, his or  her  personal
 3    representative,  to  the  jurisdiction  of the courts of this
 4    State for a cause of  action  arising  under  subsection  (a)
 5    above.
 6        Service  of process upon any person who is subject to the
 7    jurisdiction of the courts of this State, as provided in this
 8    subsection, may be made by  personally  serving  the  summons
 9    upon  the  defendant  outside  this State, as provided in the
10    Code of Civil Procedure, as now or  hereafter  amended,  with
11    the  same  force  and  effect  as  though  summons  had  been
12    personally served within this State.
13        Only  causes of action arising under subsection (a) above
14    may be asserted against a defendant in  an  action  in  which
15    jurisdiction over him or her is based upon this subsection.
16        Nothing  herein  contained limits or affects the right to
17    serve any process  in  any  other  manner  now  or  hereafter
18    provided by law.
19    (Source: P.A. 84-1308; 84-1380; 84-1381; 84-1438.)
20        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
21    becoming law.

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