Illinois Governor Patrick Quinn recently signed into law Public Act 098-0548. The Act amends the Illinois Code of Civil Procedure by adding a new statutory section (735 ILCS 5/2-2301) that substantially alters the way that civil settlement agreements are handled. The new law goes into effect January 1, 2014.
The new statute applies to settlements reached in cases involving personal injury, property damage, wrongful death, or tort actions involving claims for money damages. The statute does not apply to the government of the State of Illinois (including state agencies or employees acting in their official capacity), municipalities or local governments. Further, the law does not apply to class action lawsuits.
