SB 168 — CIV PRO-RIGHT OF PETITION

093_SB0168SB168 Engrossed LRB093 05290 WGH 05380 b AN ACT concerning civil procedure.

Section 1.

Short title.

This Act may be cited as the Citizen Participation Act.

ThePublic Codepolicy. of Civil Procedure is amended by adding Section 2-615.1 as follows:

(735Pursuant ILCSto 5/2-615.1the new)fundamental _e_____________________o______________________e_____________philosophy _____n_____________of _a_____________________b________________________t___________the _____b_____________________r______________________g_____________American _____i_____________________e______________________l_____________constitutional _____o_____________________t______________________f_____________form _____G_____________________n_______________________i____________of _____c_____________________u______________________i_____________government, _____r_____________________a______________________p_____________it _____d_____________________o______________________c_____________is _____i_____________________s______________________a_____declared _b_____________________e______________________e_____________to _____n_____________________i______________________e_____________be _____s_____________________i______________________n_____________the _____a_____________________d____public ___________________o_____________________w____________policy _e_____________________e________________________p___________of _r_____________________p______________________b_______the ___________________o_____________________w____________State _n_____________________i______________________i_____________of _y_____________________u______________________o_____________Illinois _t_____________________i______________________that ___________________o_____________________w____________the _n_____________________e______________________i_____________constitutional _o_____________________u_______________________a___rights -2-of LRB093citizens 05290and WGHorganizations 05380to bbe ___________________c____________________a_____________involved _x_____________________t______________________t_____________and _o_____________________o______________________e_____________participate _u_____________________u______________________freely _c______________________a_____________________i_____________in _____o_____________________u______________________o_____________the _____i_____________________d_______________________C____________process _____l_____________________n______________________b_____________of _____c_____________________o______________________e_____________government _____m_____________________b______________________s_____________must _____t_____________________y________________________p___________be _____c_____________________t______________________e_____________encouraged _____d______________________s_____________________n_____________and _____n_____________________c________________________d___________safeguarded _____._____________________e_______________________b____________with _____n_____________________r______________________o_____________great _____i_____________________h_______________________n____________diligence. _____h_____________________l______________________i_____________ 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_____i_____________________h______________________y_____________ ______a_____________________o_____________________f_____________ _____e_____________________p________________________u___________ _____o_____________________o______________________i_____________ _____n_____________________r______________________d_____________ _____e_____________________u______________________p_____________ _____f______________________u______________________(____________ _______3___________________o_______________________m____________ ______a____________________i_________ _j_____________________m______________________d_____________ _____e______________________C_____________________o_____________ _____b_____________________a________________________m___________ _____s_______________________S____________________o_____________ _____n_____________________o________________

The information, reports, opinions, claims, arguments, and other expressions provided by citizens are vital to effective law enforcement, the operation of government, the making of public policy and decisions, and the continuation of representative democracy.

The laws, courts, and other agencies of this State must provide the utmost protection for the free exercise of these rights of petition, speech, association, and government participation.

Civil actions for money damages have been filed against citizens and organizations of this State as a result of their valid exercise of their constitutional rights to petition, speak freely, associate freely, and otherwise participate in and communicate with government.

There has been a disturbing increase in lawsuits termed "Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation" in government or "SLAPPs" as they are popularly called.

The threat of SLAPPs, personal liability, and burdensome litigation costs significantly chills and diminishes citizen participation in government, voluntary public service, and the exercise of these important constitutional rights.

This SB168 Engrossed -2- LRB093 05290 WGH 05380 b abuse of the judicial process can and has been used as a means of intimidating, harassing, or punishing citizens and organizations for involving themselves in public affairs.

It is in the public interest and it is the purpose of this Act to strike a balance between the rights of persons to file lawsuits for injury and the constitutional rights of persons to petition, speak freely, associate freely, and otherwise participate in government;

to protect and encourage public participation in government to the maximum extent permitted by law;

to establish an efficient process for identification and adjudication of SLAPPs;

and to provide for attorney's fees and costs to prevailing movants.

Section 10.

Definitions.

In this Act:

"Government" includes a branch, department, agency, instrumentality, official, employee, agent, or other person acting under color of law of the United States, a state, a subdivision of a state, or another public authority including the electorate.

"Person" includes any individual, corporation, association, organization, partnership, 2 or more persons having a joint or common interest, or other legal entity.

"Judicial claim" or "claim" include any lawsuit, cause of action, claim, cross-claim, counterclaim, or other judicial pleading or filing alleging injury.

"Motion" includes any motion to dismiss, for summary judgment, or to strike, or any other judicial pleading filed to dispose of a judicial claim.

"Moving party" means any person on whose behalf a motion described in subsection (a) of Section 20 is filed seeking dismissal of a judicial claim.

"Responding party" means any person against whom a motion described in subsection (a) of Section 20 is filed.

SB168 Engrossed -3- LRB093 05290 WGH 05380 b Section 15.

Applicability.

This Act applies to any motion to dispose of a claim in a judicial proceeding on the grounds that the claim is based on, relates to, or is in response to any act or acts of the moving party in furtherance of the moving party's rights of petition, speech, association, or to otherwise participate in government.

Acts in furtherance of the constitutional rights to petition, speech, association, and participation in government are immune from liability, regardless of intent or purpose, except when not genuinely aimed at procuring favorable government action, result, or outcome.

Section 20.

Motion procedure and standards.

(a) On the filing of any motion as described in Section 15, a hearing and decision on the motion must occur within 90 days after notice of the motion is given to the respondent.

An appellate court shall expedite any appeal or other writ, whether interlocutory or not, from a trial court order denying that motion or from a trial court's failure to rule on that motion within 90 days after that trial court order or failure to rule.

(b) Discovery shall be suspended pending a decision on the motion.

However, discovery may be taken, upon leave of court for good cause shown, on the issue of whether the movants acts are not immunized from, or are not in furtherance of acts immunized from, liability by this Act.

(c) The court shall grant the motion and dismiss the judicial claim unless the court finds that the responding party has produced clear and convincing evidence that the acts of the moving party are not immunized from, or are not in furtherance of acts immunized from, liability by this Act.

Section 25.

Attorney's fees and costs.

The court shall award a moving party who prevails in a motion under this Act SB168 Engrossed -4- LRB093 05290 WGH 05380 b reasonable attorney's fees and costs incurred in connection with the motion.

Section 30.