(35 ILCS 200/21-305)
Sec. 21-305. Payments from Indemnity Fund.
(a) Any owner of property sold under any provision of this Code who
sustains loss or damage by
reason of the issuance of a tax deed under Section 21-445 or 22-40 and who is
barred or is in any way
precluded from bringing an action for the recovery of the property shall have
the right to indemnity for the
loss or damage sustained, limited as follows:
(1) An owner who resided on property that contained 4 |
| or less dwelling units on the last day of the period of redemption and who is equitably entitled to compensation for the loss or damage sustained has the right to indemnity. An equitable indemnity award shall be limited to the fair cash value of the property as of the date the tax deed was issued less any mortgages or liens on the property, and the award will not exceed $99,000. The Court shall liberally construe this equitable entitlement standard to provide compensation wherever, in the discretion of the Court, the equities warrant the action.
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An owner of a property that contained 4 or less
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| dwelling units who requests an award in excess of $99,000 must prove that the loss of his or her property was not attributable to his or her own fault or negligence before an award in excess of $99,000 will be granted.
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(2) An owner who sustains the loss or damage of any
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| property occasioned by reason of the issuance of a tax deed, without fault or negligence of his or her own, has the right to indemnity limited to the fair cash value of the property less any mortgages or liens on the property. In determining the existence of fault or negligence, the court shall consider whether the owner exercised ordinary reasonable diligence under all of the relevant circumstances.
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(3) In determining the fair cash value of property
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| less any mortgages or liens on the property, the fair cash value shall be reduced by the principal amount of all taxes paid by the tax purchaser or his or her assignee before the issuance of the tax deed.
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(4) If an award made under paragraph (1) or (2) is
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| subject to a reduction by the amount of an outstanding mortgage or lien on the property, other than the principal amount of all taxes paid by the tax purchaser or his or her assignee before the issuance of the tax deed and the petitioner would be personally liable to the mortgagee or lienholder for all or part of that reduction amount, the court shall order an additional indemnity award to be paid directly to the mortgagee or lienholder sufficient to discharge the petitioner's personal liability. The court, in its discretion, may order the joinder of the mortgagee or lienholder as an additional party to the indemnity action.
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(b) Indemnity fund; subrogation.
(1) Any person claiming indemnity hereunder shall
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| petition the Court which ordered the tax deed to issue, shall name the County Treasurer, as Trustee of the indemnity fund, as defendant to the petition, and shall ask that judgment be entered against the County Treasurer, as Trustee, in the amount of the indemnity sought. The provisions of the Civil Practice Law shall apply to proceedings under the petition, except that neither the petitioner nor County Treasurer shall be entitled to trial by jury on the issues presented in the petition. The Court shall liberally construe this Section to provide compensation wherever in the discretion of the Court the equities warrant such action.
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(2) The County Treasurer, as Trustee of the indemnity
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| fund, shall be subrogated to all parties in whose favor judgment may be rendered against him or her, and by third party complaint may bring in as a defendant any person, other than the tax deed grantee and its successors in title, not a party to the action who is or may be liable to him or her, as subrogee, for all or part of the petitioner's claim against him or her.
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(c) Any contract involving the proceeds of a judgment for indemnity under
this Section, between the
tax deed grantee or its successors in title and the indemnity petitioner or his
or her successors, shall be in
writing. In any action brought under Section 21-305, the Collector shall be
entitled to discovery regarding,
but not limited to, the following:
(1) the identity of all persons beneficially
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| interested in the contract, directly or indirectly, including at least the following information: the names and addresses of any natural persons; the place of incorporation of any corporation and the names and addresses of its shareholders unless it is publicly held; the names and addresses of all general and limited partners of any partnership; the names and addresses of all persons having an ownership interest in any entity doing business under an assumed name, and the county in which the assumed business name is registered; and the nature and extent of the interest in the contract of each person identified;
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(2) the time period during which the contract was
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| negotiated and agreed upon, from the date of the first direct or indirect contact between any of the contracting parties to the date of its execution;
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(3) the name and address of each natural person who
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| took part in negotiating the contract, and the identity and relationship of the party that the person represented in the negotiations; and
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(4) the existence of an agreement for payment of
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| attorney's fees by or on behalf of each party.
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Any information disclosed during discovery may be subject to protective order
as deemed appropriate by
the court. The terms of the contract shall not be used as evidence of value.
(d) A petition of indemnity under this Section must be filed within 10 years after the date the tax deed was issued.
(Source: P.A. 97-557, eff. 7-1-12 .)
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(35 ILCS 200/21-310)
Sec. 21-310. Sales in error.
(a) When, upon application of the county collector, the owner of the
certificate of purchase, the holder of a 5% lien issued pursuant to Section 21-240, or a
municipality which owns or has owned the property ordered sold, it appears to
the satisfaction of the court which ordered the property sold that any of the
following subsections are applicable, the court shall declare the sale to be a
sale in error:
(1) the property was not subject to taxation, or all |
| or any part of the lien of taxes sold has become null and void pursuant to Section 21-95 or unenforceable pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 18-250 or subsection (b) of Section 22-40;
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(2) the taxes or special assessments had been paid
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| prior to the sale of the property;
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(3) there is a double assessment;
(4) the description is void for uncertainty;
(5) the assessor, chief county assessment officer,
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| board of review, board of appeals, or other county official has made an error material to the tax certificate at issue (other than an error of judgment as to the value of any property), provided, however, that a sale in error may not be declared upon application of the owner of the certificate of purchase under this paragraph (5) if the county collector provided notice in accordance with Section 21-118 that the same property received a previous sale in error on the same facts;
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(5.5) the owner of the homestead property had
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| tendered timely and full payment to the county collector that the owner reasonably believed was due and owing on the homestead property, and the county collector did not apply the payment to the homestead property; provided that this provision applies only to homeowners, not their agents or third-party payors;
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(6) a voluntary or involuntary petition was filed by
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| or against the legal or beneficial owner of the property requesting relief under the provisions of 11 U.S.C. Chapter 7, 11, 12, or 13, and the bankruptcy case was open on the date the collector's application for judgment was filed pursuant to Section 21-150 or 21-155 or the date of the tax sale;
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(7) the property is owned by the United States, the
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| State of Illinois, a municipality, or a taxing district; or
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(8) the owner of the property is a reservist or
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| guardsperson who is granted an extension of his or her due date under Sections 21-15, 21-20, and 21-25 of this Act.
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(b) When, upon application of the owner of the certificate of purchase
only, it appears to the satisfaction of the court which ordered the property
sold that any of the following subsections are applicable, the court shall
declare the sale to be a sale in error:
(1) A voluntary or involuntary petition under the
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| provisions of 11 U.S.C. Chapter 7, 11, 12, or 13 has been filed subsequent to the tax sale and prior to the issuance of the tax deed, and the bankruptcy case was open on the date the petition for a sale in error was filed.
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(2) The improvements upon the property sold have been
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| substantially destroyed subsequent to the tax sale and prior to the issuance of the tax deed; however, if the court declares a sale in error under this paragraph (2), the court may order the holder of the certificate of purchase to assign the certificate to the county collector if requested by the county collector. The county collector may, upon request of the county, as trustee, or upon request of a taxing district having an interest in the taxes sold, further assign any certificate of purchase received pursuant to this paragraph (2) to the county acting as trustee for taxing districts pursuant to Section 21-90 of this Code or to the taxing district having an interest in the taxes sold.
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(3) There is an interest held by the United States in
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| the property sold which could not be extinguished by the tax deed.
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(4) The real property contains a hazardous substance,
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| hazardous waste, or underground storage tank that would require cleanup or other removal under any federal, State, or local law, ordinance, or regulation, only if the tax purchaser purchased the property without actual knowledge of the hazardous substance, hazardous waste, or underground storage tank. The presence of a grease trap on the property is not grounds for a sale in error under this paragraph (4). This paragraph (4) applies only if the owner of the certificate of purchase has made application for a sale in error at any time before the issuance of a tax deed. If the court declares a sale in error under this paragraph (4), the court may order the holder of the certificate of purchase to assign the certificate to the county collector if requested by the county collector. The county collector may, upon request of the county, as trustee, or upon request of a taxing district having an interest in the taxes sold, further assign any certificate of purchase received pursuant to this paragraph (4) to the county acting as trustee for taxing districts pursuant to Section 21-90 of this Code or to the taxing district having an interest in the taxes sold.
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Whenever a court declares a sale in error under this subsection (b), the State's attorney shall promptly notify the county collector in writing.
(c) When the county collector discovers, prior to the expiration of the period of redemption, that a tax sale
should not have occurred for one or more of the reasons set forth in
subdivision (a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(4), (a)(5.5), (a)(6), (a)(7), or (a)(8) of this Section, the county
collector shall notify the last known owner of the tax certificate by
certified and regular mail, or other means reasonably calculated to provide
actual notice, that the county collector intends to declare an administrative
sale in error and of the reasons therefor, including documentation sufficient
to establish the reason why the sale should not have occurred. The owner of the
certificate of purchase may object in writing within 28 days after the date of
the mailing by the county collector. If an objection is filed, the county
collector shall not administratively declare a sale in error, but may apply to
the circuit court for a sale in error as provided in subsection (a) of this
Section. Thirty days following the receipt of notice by the last known owner of
the certificate of purchase, or within a reasonable time thereafter, the county
collector shall make a written declaration, based upon clear and convincing
evidence, that the taxes were sold in error and shall deliver a copy thereof to
the county clerk within 30 days after the date the declaration is made for
entry in the tax judgment, sale, redemption, and forfeiture record pursuant to
subsection (d) of this Section. The county collector shall promptly notify the
last known owner of the certificate of purchase of the declaration by regular
mail and shall, except if the certificate was issued pursuant to a no-cash bid, promptly pay the amount of the tax sale, together with interest
and costs as provided in Section 21-315, upon surrender of the original
certificate of purchase.
(d) If a sale is declared to be a sale in error for any reason set forth in Section 22-35, Section 22-50, or subdivision (a)(5), (b)(2), or (b)(4) of this Section, the tax certificate shall be forfeited to the county as trustee pursuant to Section 21-90 of this Code, unless the county collector informs the county and the county clerk in writing that the tax certificate shall not be forfeited to the county as trustee. The county
clerk shall make entry in the tax judgment, sale, redemption and
forfeiture record, that the property was erroneously sold and that the tax certificate is forfeited to the county pursuant to Section 21-90, and the county
collector shall, on demand of the owner of the certificate of purchase, refund
the amount paid, except for the nonrefundable $80 fee paid, pursuant to Section 21-295, for each item purchased at the tax sale, pay any interest and costs as may be ordered under Sections
21-315 through 21-335, and cancel the certificate so far as it relates to the
property. The county collector shall deduct from the accounts of the
appropriate taxing bodies their pro rata amounts paid.
(e) Whenever the collector declares an administrative sale in error under this Section, the collector must send a copy of the declaration of the administrative sale in error, and documentation sufficient to establish the reason why the sale should not have occurred, to the government entity responsible for maintaining assessment books and property record cards for the subject property. That entity must review the documentation sent by the collector, make a determination as to whether an update to the assessment books or property record cards is necessary to prevent a recurrence of the sale in error, and update the assessment books or property record cards as appropriate.
(f) Whenever a court declares a sale in error under this Section, the State's attorney must send a copy of the application and order declaring the sale in error to the county collector, the county clerk, and the government entity responsible for maintaining the assessment books and property record cards for the subject property. The collector, the county clerk, and the other government entity must each review the application and order sent by the State's attorney and make a determination as to whether an update to its respective records is necessary to prevent a recurrence of the sale in error, and update its records as appropriate.
The changes made to this Section by this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly apply to matters concerning tax certificates issued on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly.
(Source: P.A. 103-555, eff. 1-1-24 .)
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