Short v. Pye, 2018 IL App (2d) 160405, 117 N.E.3d 438

On July 31, 2018, the Appellate Court affirmed a trial court’s denial of sanctions motions against attorneys who had represented the Plaintiff in his lawsuit. The Jenkins Law Group represented the attorneys in the Appellate Court, defending the trial court’s decision to deny sanctions. The Appellate Court agreed that the Defendants’ motion for sanctions against the attorneys was untimely, because it was filed more than 30 days after the trial court had entered a final judgment dismissing the Plaintiff’s case with prejudice, even though the Defendants’ original motion for sanctions against the Plaintiff had been filed timely and was still pending. The Defendants had originally moved for sanctions only against the Plaintiff individually, and then attempted to amend their motion for sanctions to include the attorneys. The Defendants’ attempt to amend the motion for sanctions came after the expiration of the 30-day time limit for sanctions motions as required by the Illinois Supreme Court Rules. The Appellate Court agreed with the arguments made by The Jenkins Law Group regarding the interpretation of Illinois Supreme Court Rule 137, and affirmed the trial court’s decision.