97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
SB2948

 

Introduced 2/1/2012, by Sen. Ira I. Silverstein

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
755 ILCS 15/1  from Ch. 17, par. 1501
755 ILCS 15/5 new

    Amends the Safe Deposit Box Opening Act. Provides that a public administrator may gain access to a decedent's safe deposit box by delivering to the lessor his or her letters of office or an affidavit stating that he or she is conducting a preliminary investigation of the decedent's estate and believes that the safety deposit box may contain assets and estate information. Provides that with letters of office the public administrator may remove the contents from the safety deposit box, but without letters of office only an inventory may be conducted. Provides that the lessor shall open the box for a public administrator with an affidavit regardless of whether the decedent's key or combination is available. Makes other changes.


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A BILL FOR

 

SB2948LRB097 14726 AJO 59725 b

1    AN ACT concerning civil law.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Safety Deposit Box Opening Act is amended by
5changing Section 1 and by adding Section 5 as follows:
 
6    (755 ILCS 15/1)  (from Ch. 17, par. 1501)
7    Sec. 1. Upon being furnished with satisfactory proof of
8death of a sole lessee or the last surviving co-lessee of a
9safe deposit box, the lessor shall open the box and examine the
10contents in the presence of a person who presents himself and
11furnishes an affidavit which states that (a) he is interested
12in the filing of the lessee's will or in the arrangements for
13his burial, (b) he believes the box may contain the will or
14burial documents of the lessee and (c) he is an interested
15person within the meaning of this Act. The lessor shall not
16open the box in accordance with this Act if the lessor has
17received a copy of letters of office of the representative of
18the deceased lessee's estate or other applicable court order.
19The lessor need not open the box if (a) the box has previously
20been opened in accordance with this Act, (b) the lessor has
21received notice of a written or oral objection from any person
22or has reason to believe that there would be an objection, or
23(c) the lessee's key or combination is not available.

 

 

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1    For purposes of this Section Act, the term "interested
2person" means any person who immediately prior to the death of
3the lessee had the right of access to the box as a deputy, any
4person named as executor in a copy furnished by him of a
5purported will of the lessee, or the spouse, an adult
6descendant, parent, brother or sister of the lessee. If the
7affidavit states that none of the persons described above is
8available to be present at the opening of the box, the term
9"interested person" also means any other person who the lessor
10in its sole discretion determines may have a legitimate
11interest in the filing of the lessee's will or in the
12arrangements for his burial.
13    For purposes of this Section, the The lessor shall remove
14any document which appears to be a will or codicil and deliver
15it to the clerk of the circuit court for the county in which
16the lessee resided immediately prior to his or her death, if
17known to the lessor, otherwise to the clerk of the circuit
18court for the county in which the safe deposit box is located.
19Delivery of a will or codicil called for herein may be made by
20registered mail sent to the clerk of the said court. The lessor
21may remove any burial documents and deliver them to the
22interested person. No other contents may be removed pursuant to
23this Section Act.
24    The lessor is not required to look into the truth of any
25statement in the affidavit required to be furnished under
26section one of this Section Act. The lessor's determination of

 

 

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1the fact situations to be met under this Section act shall be
2conclusive and final. The lessor shall be fully protected in
3relying conclusively on it.
4(Source: P.A. 83-642.)
 
5    (755 ILCS 15/5 new)
6    Sec. 5. Public administrator; opening safety deposit box.
7    (a) In cases involving a public administrator in this
8State, in which the public administrator has yet to determine
9in his official capacity whether administration of the lessee's
10estate is warranted under this Act the public administrator
11shall execute and furnish to the lessor an affidavit stating:
12(1) The public administrator, in his official capacity, is
13conducting a preliminary investigation and inventory of the
14decedent lessee's estate; (2) The public administrator, as of
15the date of the affidavit, has not yet been able to obtain
16sufficient assets and estate information to warrant the
17representation and administration of the decedent lessee's
18estate; and (3) The public administrator reasonably believes
19that the decedent lessee's safety deposit box may contain such
20assets and estate information which may provide sufficient
21grounds for the administration of the estate. Upon receipt of
22the public administrator's affidavit, the lessor shall open the
23lessee's box and shall permit the public administrator, in the
24presence of the lessor, to examine and catalogue the contents
25of the box. During the course of the examination, the public

 

 

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1administrator will not be able to remove any contents from the
2box, without first presenting to the lessor a copy of letters
3of office issued to him in representation of the lessee's
4estate.
5    (b) In cases involving a public administrator in this
6State, in which the public administrator has been issued
7letters of office, the public administrator shall provide a
8copy of such letters of office to the lessor and the lessor
9shall, upon receipt of such copy from the public administrator,
10open the lessee's box for examination of its contents by the
11public administrator. The public administrator shall be
12permitted to remove any such items in the box he properly deems
13to be an asset of value of the estate which need to be secured
14and held by the public administrator in his official duties as
15the administrator of the lessee's estate. For purposes of this
16Section, the lessor shall open the box for such public
17administrator who presents an affidavit in accordance with the
18provisions of this Section regardless of whether the decedent
19lessee's key or combination is available.