(225 ILCS 454/20-90)
(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2020)
Sec. 20-90. Collection from Real Estate Recovery Fund; procedure.
(a) No action for a judgment that subsequently results in a post-judgment order for collection from the Real Estate Recovery Fund shall be started later than 2 years after the date on which the aggrieved person knew, or through the use of reasonable diligence should have known, of the acts or omissions giving rise to a right of recovery from the Real Estate Recovery Fund.
(b) When any aggrieved person commences action for a judgment that may result in collection from the Real Estate Recovery Fund, the aggrieved person must name as parties defendant to that action any and all licensees, their employees, or independent contractors who allegedly committed or are responsible for acts or omissions giving rise to a right of recovery from the Real Estate Recovery Fund. Failure to name as parties defendant such licensees, their employees, or independent contractors shall preclude recovery from the Real Estate Recovery Fund of any portion of any judgment received in such an action. These parties defendant shall also include any corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, registered limited liability partnership, or other business associations licensed under this Act that may be responsible for acts giving rise to a right of recovery from the Real Estate Recovery Fund.
(c) (Blank).
(d) When any aggrieved person commences action for a judgment that may result in collection from the Real Estate Recovery Fund, and the aggrieved person is unable to obtain legal and proper service upon the parties defendant licensed under this Act under the provisions of Illinois law concerning service of process in civil actions, the aggrieved person may petition the court where the action to obtain judgment was begun for an order to allow service of legal process on the Secretary. Service of process on the Secretary shall be taken and held in that court to be as valid and binding as if due service had been made upon the parties defendant licensed under this Act. In case any process mentioned in this Section is served upon the Secretary, the Secretary shall forward a copy of the process by certified mail to the licensee's last address on record with the Department. Any judgment obtained after service of process on the Secretary under this Act shall apply to and be enforceable against the Real Estate Recovery Fund only. The Department may intervene in and defend any such action.
(e) (Blank).
(f) The aggrieved person shall give written notice to the Department within 30 days of the entry of any judgment that may result in collection from the Real Estate Recovery Fund. The aggrieved person shall provide the Department with 20 days prior written notice of all supplementary proceedings so as to allow the Department to intervene and participate in all efforts to collect on the judgment in the same manner as any party.
(g) When any aggrieved person recovers a valid judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction against any licensee or an unlicensed employee of any licensee, upon the grounds of fraud, misrepresentation, discrimination, or deceit, the aggrieved person may, upon the termination of all proceedings, including review and appeals in connection with the judgment, file a verified claim in the court in which the judgment was entered and, upon 30 days' written notice to the Department, and to the person against whom the judgment was obtained, may apply to the court for a post-judgment order directing payment out of the Real Estate Recovery Fund of the amount unpaid upon the judgment, not including interest on the judgment, and subject to the limitations stated in Section 20-85 of this Act. The aggrieved person must set out in that verified claim and prove at an evidentiary hearing to be held by the court upon the application that the claim meets all requirements of Section 20-85 and this Section to be eligible for payment from the Real Estate Recovery Fund and the aggrieved party shall be required to show that the aggrieved person:
(1) Is not a spouse of the debtor or debtors or the
personal representative of such spouse.
(2) Has complied with all the requirements of this
Section.
(3) Has obtained a judgment stating the amount
thereof and the amount owing thereon, not including interest thereon, at the date of the application.
(4) Has made all reasonable searches and inquiries to
ascertain whether the judgment debtor or debtors is possessed of real or personal property or other assets, liable to be sold or applied in satisfaction of the judgment.
(5) By such search has discovered no personal or real
property or other assets liable to be sold or applied, or has discovered certain of them, describing them as owned by the judgment debtor or debtors and liable to be so applied and has taken all necessary action and proceedings for the realization thereof, and the amount thereby realized was insufficient to satisfy the judgment, stating the amount so realized and the balance remaining due on the judgment after application of the amount realized.
(6) Has diligently pursued all remedies against all
the judgment debtors and all other persons liable to the aggrieved person in the transaction for which recovery is sought from the Real Estate Recovery Fund, including the filing of an adversary action to have the debts declared non-dischargeable in any bankruptcy petition matter filed by any judgment debtor or person liable to the aggrieved person.
The aggrieved person shall also be required to prove the amount of attorney's fees sought to be recovered and the reasonableness of those fees up to the maximum allowed pursuant to Section 20-85 of this Act.
(h) After conducting the evidentiary hearing required under this Section, the court, in a post-judgment order directed to the Department, shall indicate whether requiring payment from the Real Estate Recovery Fund is appropriate and, if so, the amount it finds to be payable upon the claim, pursuant to and in accordance with the limitations contained in Section 20-85 of this Act, if the court is satisfied, based upon the hearing, of the truth of all matters required to be shown by the aggrieved person under subsection (g) of this Section and that the aggrieved person has fully pursued and exhausted all remedies available for recovering the amount awarded by the judgment of the court.
(i) Should the Department pay from the Real Estate Recovery Fund any amount in settlement of a claim or toward satisfaction of a judgment against any licensee or an unlicensed employee of a licensee, the licensee's license shall be automatically revoked upon the issuance of a post-judgment order authorizing payment from the Real Estate Recovery Fund. No petition for restoration of a license shall be heard until repayment has been made in full, plus interest at the rate prescribed in Section 12-109 of the Code of Civil Procedure of the amount paid from the Real Estate Recovery Fund on their account, notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in Section 2105-15 of the Department of Professional Regulation Law of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois. A discharge in bankruptcy shall not relieve a person from the penalties and disabilities provided in this subsection (i).
(j) If, at any time, the money deposited in the Real Estate Recovery Fund is insufficient to satisfy any duly authorized claim or portion thereof, the Department shall, when sufficient money has been deposited in the Real Estate Recovery Fund, satisfy such unpaid claims or portions thereof, in the order that such claims or portions thereof were originally filed, plus accumulated interest at the rate prescribed in Section 12-109 of the Code of Civil Procedure.
(Source: P.A. 96-856, eff. 12-31-09; 97-1002, eff. 8-17-12.)
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Last modified: February 18, 2015