(750 ILCS 45/15) (from Ch. 40, par. 2515)
Sec. 15. Enforcement of Judgment or Order.
(a) If existence of the parent and child relationship is declared, or paternity or duty of support has been established under this Act or under prior law or under the law of any other jurisdiction, the judgment rendered thereunder may be enforced in the same or other proceedings by any party or any person or agency that has furnished or may furnish financial assistance or services to the child. The Income Withholding for Support Act and Sections 14 and 16 of this Act shall also be applicable with respect to entry, modification and enforcement of any support judgment entered under provisions of the "Paternity Act", approved July 5, 1957, as amended, repealed July 1, 1985.
(b) Failure to comply with any order of the court shall be punishable as contempt as in other cases of failure to comply under the "Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act", as now or hereafter amended. In addition to other penalties provided by law, the court may, after finding the party guilty of contempt, order that the party be:
(1) Placed on probation with such conditions of
probation as the court deems advisable;
(2) Sentenced to periodic imprisonment for a period
not to exceed 6 months. However, the court may permit the party to be released for periods of time during the day or night to work or conduct business or other self-employed occupation. The court may further order any part of all the earnings of a party during a sentence of periodic imprisonment to be paid to the Clerk of the Circuit Court or to the person or parent having custody of the minor child for the support of said child until further order of the court.
(c) The court may also pierce the ownership veil of a person, persons, or business entity to discover assets of a non-custodial parent held in the name of that person, those persons, or that business entity if there is a unity of interest and ownership sufficient to render no financial separation between the non-custodial parent and that person, those persons, or the business entity. The following circumstances are sufficient for a court to order discovery of the assets of a person, persons, or business entity and to compel the application of any discovered assets toward payment on the judgment for support:
(1) The non-custodial parent and the person, persons,
or business entity maintain records together.
(2) The non-custodial parent and the person, persons,
or business entity fail to maintain an arms length relationship between themselves with regard to any assets.
(3) The non-custodial parent transfers assets to the
person, persons, or business entity with the intent to perpetrate a fraud on the custodial parent.
With respect to assets which are real property, no order entered under this subsection (c) shall affect the rights of bona fide purchasers, mortgagees, judgment creditors, or other lien holders who acquire their interests in the property prior to the time a notice of lis pendens pursuant to the Code of Civil Procedure or a copy of the order is placed of record in the office of the recorder of deeds for the county in which the real property is located.
(d) The court may also order that, in cases where the party is 90 days or more delinquent in payment of support or has been adjudicated in arrears in an amount equal to 90 days obligation or more, the party's Illinois driving privileges be suspended until the court determines that the party is in compliance with the judgement or duty of support. The court may also order that the parent be issued a family financial responsibility driving permit that would allow limited driving privileges for employment and medical purposes in accordance with Section 7-702.1 of the Illinois Vehicle Code. The clerk of the circuit court shall certify the order suspending the driving privileges of the parent or granting the issuance of a family financial responsibility driving permit to the Secretary of State on forms prescribed by the Secretary. Upon receipt of the authenticated documents, the Secretary of State shall suspend the party's driving privileges until further order of the court and shall, if ordered by the court, subject to the provisions of Section 7-702.1 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, issue a family financial responsibility driving permit to the parent.
(e) In addition to the penalties or punishment that may be imposed under this Section, any person whose conduct constitutes a violation of Section 15 of the Non-Support Punishment Act may be prosecuted under that Act, and a person convicted under that Act may be sentenced in accordance with that Act. The sentence may include but need not be limited to a requirement that the person perform community service under Section 50 of that Act or participate in a work alternative program under Section 50 of that Act. A person may not be required to participate in a work alternative program under Section 50 of that Act if the person is currently participating in a work program pursuant to Section 15.1 of this Act.
(f) If a party who is found guilty of contempt for a failure to comply with an order to pay support is a person who conducts a business or who is self-employed, the court may in addition to other penalties provided by law order that the party do one or more of the following: (i) provide to the court monthly financial statements showing income and expenses from the business or the self-employment; (ii) seek employment and report periodically to the court with a diary, listing, or other memorandum of his or her employment search efforts; or (iii) report to the Department of Employment Security for job search services to find employment that will be subject to withholding of child support.
(g) In any post-judgment proceeding to enforce or modify the judgment the parties shall continue to be designated as in the original proceeding.
(Source: P.A. 97-1029, eff. 1-1-13; 98-756, eff. 7-16-14.)
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Last modified: February 18, 2015