HB6083 EngrossedLRB099 17215 HEP 41573 b

1    AN ACT concerning the disclosure of information.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. This Act may be referred to as Molly's Law.
 
5    Section 5. The Wrongful Death Act is amended by changing
6Section 2 as follows:
 
7    (740 ILCS 180/2)  (from Ch. 70, par. 2)
8    Sec. 2. Every such action shall be brought by and in the
9names of the personal representatives of such deceased person,
10and, except as otherwise hereinafter provided, the amount
11recovered in every such action shall be for the exclusive
12benefit of the surviving spouse and next of kin of such
13deceased person. In every such action the jury may give such
14damages as they shall deem a fair and just compensation with
15reference to the pecuniary injuries resulting from such death,
16including damages for grief, sorrow, and mental suffering, to
17the surviving spouse and next of kin of such deceased person.
18    The amount recovered in any such action shall be
19distributed by the court in which the cause is heard or, in the
20case of an agreed settlement, by the circuit court, to each of
21the surviving spouse and next of kin of such deceased person in
22the proportion, as determined by the court, that the percentage

 

 

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1of dependency of each such person upon the deceased person
2bears to the sum of the percentages of dependency of all such
3persons upon the deceased person.
4    Where the deceased person left no surviving spouse or next
5of kin entitled to recovery, the damages shall, subject to the
6following limitations inure, to the exclusive benefit of the
7following persons, or any one or more of them:
8    (a) to the person or persons furnishing hospitalization or
9hospital services in connection with the last illness or injury
10of the deceased person, not exceeding $450;
11    (b) to the person or persons furnishing medical or surgical
12services in connection with such last illness or injury, not
13exceeding $450;
14    (c) to the personal representatives, as such, for the costs
15and expenses of administering the estate and prosecuting or
16compromising the action, including a reasonable attorney's
17fee. In any such case the measure of damages to be recovered
18shall be the total of the reasonable value of such
19hospitalization or hospital service, medical and surgical
20services, funeral expenses, and such costs and expenses of
21administration, including attorney fees, not exceeding the
22foregoing limitations for each class of such expenses and not
23exceeding $900 plus a reasonable attorney's fee.
24    Except as otherwise provided in this Section, every Every
25such action shall be commenced within 2 years after the death
26of such person but an action against a defendant arising from a

 

 

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1crime committed by the defendant in whose name an escrow
2account was established under the "Criminal Victims' Escrow
3Account Act" shall be commenced within 2 years after the
4establishment of such account. An action may be brought within
55 years after the date of the death if the death is the result
6of violent intentional conduct or within one year after the
7final disposition of the criminal case if the defendant is
8charged with:
9        (i) first degree murder under Section 9-1 of the
10    Criminal Code of 2012;
11        (ii) intentional homicide of an unborn child under
12    Section 9-1.2 of the Criminal Code of 2012;
13        (iii) second degree murder under Section 9-2 of the
14    Criminal Code of 2012;
15        (iv) voluntary manslaughter of an unborn child under
16    Section 9-2.1 of the Criminal Code of 2012;
17        (v) involuntary manslaughter or reckless homicide
18    under Section 9-3 of the Criminal Code of 2012;
19        (vi) involuntary manslaughter or reckless homicide of
20    an unborn child under Section 9-3.2 of the Criminal Code of
21    2012; or
22        (vii) drug-induced homicide under Section 9-3.3 of the
23    Criminal Code of 2012.
24    For the purposes of this Section 2, next of kin includes an
25adopting parent and an adopted child, and they shall be treated
26as a natural parent and a natural child, respectively. However,

 

 

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1if a person entitled to recover benefits under this Act, is, at
2the time the cause of action accrued, within the age of 18
3years, he or she may cause such action to be brought within 2
4years after attainment of the age of 18.
5    In any such action to recover damages, it shall not be a
6defense that the death was caused in whole or in part by the
7contributory negligence of one or more of the beneficiaries on
8behalf of whom the action is brought, but the amount of damages
9given shall be reduced in the following manner.
10    The trier of fact shall first determine the decedent's
11contributory fault in accordance with Sections 2-1116 and
122-1107.1 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Recovery of damages
13shall be barred or diminished accordingly. The trier of fact
14shall then determine the contributory fault, if any, of each
15beneficiary on behalf of whom the action was brought:
16        (1) Where the trier of fact finds that the contributory
17    fault of a beneficiary on whose behalf the action is
18    brought is not more than 50% of the proximate cause of the
19    wrongful death of the decedent, then the damages allowed to
20    that beneficiary shall be diminished in proportion to the
21    contributory fault attributed to that beneficiary. The
22    amount of the reduction shall not be payable by any
23    defendant.
24        (2) Where the trier of fact finds that the contributory
25    fault of a beneficiary on whose behalf the action is
26    brought is more than 50% of the proximate cause of the

 

 

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1    wrongful death of the decedent, then the beneficiary shall
2    be barred from recovering damages and the amount of damages
3    which would have been payable to that beneficiary, but for
4    the beneficiary's contributory fault, shall not inure to
5    the benefit of the remaining beneficiaries and shall not be
6    payable by any defendant.
7    The trial judge shall conduct a hearing to determine the
8degree of dependency of each beneficiary upon the decedent. The
9trial judge shall calculate the amount of damages to be awarded
10each beneficiary, taking into account any reduction arising
11from either the decedent's or the beneficiary's contributory
12fault.
13    This amendatory Act of the 91st General Assembly applies to
14all actions pending on or filed after the effective date of
15this amendatory Act.
16    This amendatory Act of the 95th General Assembly applies to
17causes of actions accruing on or after its effective date.
18(Source: P.A. 95-3, eff. 5-31-07.)