Illinois General Assembly - 775 ILCS 5/ Illinois Human Rights Act.

(775 ILCS 5/8B-103) (from Ch. 68, par. 8B-103)

Sec. 8B-103. Review by Commission.

(A) Exceptions. Within 30 days of the receipt of service of the hearing officer's recommended order, a party may file with the Commission any written exceptions to any part of the order. Exceptions shall be supported by argument and served on all parties at the time they are filed. If no exceptions are filed, the recommended order shall become the order of the Commission without further review. The Commission shall issue a notice that no exceptions have been filed no later than 30 days after the exceptions were due.

(B) Response. Within 21 days of the receipt of service of exceptions, a party may file with the Commission any response to the exceptions. Responses shall be supported by argument and served on all parties at the time they are filed.

(C) Oral Argument. A party may request oral argument at the time of filing exceptions or a response to exceptions. When any party requests oral argument in this manner, the Commission may schedule oral argument to be heard by a panel of 3 Commission members. If the panel grants oral argument, it shall notify all parties of the time and place of argument. Any party so notified may present oral argument.

(D) Remand.

(1) The Commission, on its own motion or at the written request of any party made at the time of filing exceptions or responses, may remand a case to a hearing officer for purposes of a rehearing to reconsider evidence or hear additional evidence in the matter. The Commission shall issue and serve on all parties a written order remanding the cause and specifying the additional evidence.

(2) The hearing officer presiding at a rehearing shall set a hearing date, in accordance with Section 8B-102(C), upon due notice to all parties.

(3) After conclusion of the rehearing, the hearing officer shall file written findings and recommendations with the Commission and serve copies at the same time on all parties in the same manner as provided in Section 8B-102(J). The findings and recommendations shall be subject to review by the Commission as provided in this Section.

(E) Review.

(1) Following the filing of the findings and recommended order of the hearing officer and any written exceptions and responses, and any other proceedings provided for in this Section, the Commission, through a panel of 3 members, may review the record and may adopt, modify, or reverse in whole or in part the findings and recommendations of the hearing officer.

(2) When reviewing a recommended order, the Commission shall adopt the hearing officer's findings of fact if they are not contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence.

(3) If the Commission accepts a case for review, it shall file its written order and decision in its office and serve copies on all parties together with a notification of the date when it was filed. If the Commission declines to review a recommended order or if no exceptions have been filed, it shall issue a short statement notifying the parties that the recommended order has become the order of the Commission. The statement shall be served on the parties by first class mail.

(3.1) A recommended order authored by a non-presiding hearing officer under subparagraph 8B-102(J)(4) shall be reviewed in the same manner as a recommended order authored by a presiding hearing officer.

(4) The Commission shall issue a final decision within one year of the date a charge is filed with the Department unless it is impracticable to do so. If the Commission is unable to issue a final decision within one year of the date the charge is filed with the Department, it shall notify all parties in writing of the reasons for not doing so.

(F) Rehearing.

(1) Within 30 days after service of the Commission's order or statement declining review, a party may file an application for rehearing before the full Commission. The application shall be served on all other parties. The Commission shall have discretion to order a response to the application. The filing of an application for rehearing is optional. The failure to file an application for rehearing shall not be considered a failure to exhaust administrative remedies. This amendatory Act of 1991 applies to pending proceedings as well as those filed on or after its effective date.

(2) Applications for rehearing shall be viewed with disfavor, and may be granted, by vote of 3 Commission members, only upon a clear demonstration that a matter raises legal issues of significant impact or that Commission decisions are in conflict.

(3) When an application for rehearing is granted, the original order shall be nullified and oral argument before the full Commission shall be scheduled. The Commission may request the parties to file any additional written arguments it deems necessary.

(G) Modification of Order.

(1) At any time before a final order of the court in a proceeding for judicial review under this Act, the Commission or the 3-member panel that decided the matter, upon reasonable notice, may modify or set aside in whole or in part any finding or order made by it in accordance with this Section.

(2) Any modification shall be accomplished by the filing and service of a supplemental order and decision by the Commission in the same manner as provided in this Section.

(H) Extensions of time. All motions for extensions of time with respect to matters being considered by the Commission shall be decided by the full Commission or a 3-member panel. If a motion for extension of time cannot be ruled upon before the filing deadline sought to be extended, the Chairperson of the Commission shall be authorized to extend the filing deadline to the date of the next Commission meeting at which the motion can be considered.

(Source: P.A. 100-1066, eff. 8-24-18; 100-1154, eff. 12-19-18.)

(775 ILCS 5/8B-104) (from Ch. 68, par. 8B-104)

Sec. 8B-104. Relief; penalties. Upon finding a civil rights violation, a hearing officer may recommend and the Commission or any three-member panel thereof may provide for any relief or penalty identified in this Section, separately or in combination, by entering an order directing the respondent to:

(A) Cease and Desist Order. Cease and desist from any violation of this Act.

(B) Actual Damages. Pay actual damages, as reasonably determined by the Commission, for injury or loss suffered by the complainant.

(C) Civil Penalty. Pay a civil penalty per violation to vindicate the public interest. In imposing a civil penalty to vindicate the public interest, a separate penalty may be imposed for each specific act constituting a civil rights violation as defined in Section 1-103, and for each aggrieved party injured by the civil rights violation:

(i) in an amount not exceeding $16,000 if the respondent has not been adjudged to have committed any prior civil rights violation under Article 3;

(ii) in an amount not exceeding $42,500 if the respondent has been adjudged to have committed one other civil rights violation under Article 3 during the 5-year period ending on the date of the filing of this charge; and

(iii) in an amount not exceeding $70,000 if the respondent has been adjudged to have committed 2 or more civil rights violations under Article 3 during the 7-year period ending on the date of the filing of this charge; except that if the acts constituting the civil rights violation that is the object of the charge are committed by the same natural person who has been previously adjudged to have committed acts constituting a civil rights violation under Article 3, then the civil penalties set forth in subparagraphs (ii) and (iii) may be imposed without regard to the period of time within which any subsequent civil rights violation under Article 3 occurred.

(D) Attorney Fees; Costs. Pay to the complainant all or a portion of the costs of maintaining the action, including reasonable attorneys fees and expert witness fees incurred in maintaining this action before the Department, the Commission and in any judicial review and judicial enforcement proceedings.

(E) Compliance Report. Report as to the manner of compliance.

(F) Posting of Notices. Post notices in a conspicuous place which the Commission may publish or cause to be published setting forth requirements for compliance with this Act or other relevant information which the Commission determines necessary to explain this Act.

(G) Make Complainant Whole. Take such action as may be necessary to make the individual complainant whole, including, but not limited to, awards of interest on the complainant's actual damages from the date of the civil rights violation.

(Source: P.A. 103-859, eff. 1-1-25.)

(775 ILCS 5/Art. 9 heading) ARTICLE 9. SAVINGS PROVISIONS