Illinois Official Reports 

Appellate Court

Board of Managers of the Inverrary Condominium Ass’n v. Karaganis,

2017 IL App (2d) 160271

Appellate Court 

Caption

BOARD OF MANAGERS OF THE INVERRARY 

CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. JAMES 

KARAGANIS and UNKNOWN OCCUPANTS, Defendants (James 

Karaganis, Defendant-Appellant).

District & No. Second District 

Docket No. 2-16-0271

Filed June 13, 2017

Decision Under 

Review

Appeal from the Circuit Court of Lake County, No. 12-LM-1993; the 

Hon. Michael J. Fusz, Judge, presiding.

Judgment Affirmed.

Counsel on

Appeal

Norman J. Lerum II and Catherine E. Lerum, of Norman J. Lerum, 

P.C., of Chicago, for appellant.

Jordan D. Gilman, of Dickler, Kahn, Slowikowski & Zavell, Ltd., of 

Arlington Heights, for appellee.

Panel JUSTICE ZENOFF delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.

Justices Hutchinson and Birkett concurred in the judgment and 

opinion.
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 OPINION 

¶ 1 Defendant, James Karaganis, appeals a judgment entered in the Lake County circuit court 

in favor of plaintiff, the board of managers of the Inverrary Condominium Association, 

pursuant to the Forcible Entry and Detainer Act (forcible statute) (735 ILCS 5/9-101 et seq.

(West 2014)). Defendant argues that neither the forcible statute nor the Condominium Property 

Act (Condominium Act) (765 ILCS 605/1 et seq. (West 2014)) imposes a personal obligation 

on him to satisfy any money judgment, apart from having to surrender the use and benefit of 

his condominium unit. Furthermore, he contends that, as part of considering “the nature of the 

action” when determining the amount of attorney fees to award to plaintiff (735 ILCS 

5/9-111(b)(iv) (West 2014)), the trial court should have considered various matters that 

defendant had raised in his affirmative defenses. Finally, defendant argues that plaintiff should 

be sanctioned for filing a false affidavit in the trial court regarding discovery compliance. For 

the reasons that follow, we affirm. 

¶ 2 I. BACKGROUND 

¶ 3 Defendant owns a condominium unit in Deerfield, Illinois. On August 29, 2012, plaintiff 

filed a forcible entry and detainer complaint alleging that defendant had failed to pay common 

expenses in the amount of $5271.15 between December 2009 and July 2012. Plaintiff sought a 

judgment of possession, as well as a money judgment that included attorney fees and costs. See 

735 ILCS 5/9-111(a) (West 2014) (when a condominium owner fails to pay his or her 

proportionate share of the common expenses and the court finds that such expenses are due, the 

plaintiff is entitled to possession of the premises and to a judgment for the amount due, 

including reasonable attorney fees and costs). 

¶ 4 In September 2012, defendant, pro se, filed a counterclaim. He alleged that on December 

16, 2010, he found water leaking into his garage due to a plumbing failure in an adjacent unit. 

The water flowed through his ceiling, rolled down the interior walls, and entered his living 

space. According to defendant, plaintiff refused to remediate the problem, and he incurred 

damages in the amount of $6217. 

¶ 5 In October 2012, defendant filed his answer and affirmative defenses. As his first 

affirmative defense, defendant alleged that plaintiff breached its contractual duty to maintain 

and repair the common elements of the condominium property. As his second affirmative 

defense, defendant alleged that his obligation to pay his monthly assessment was nullified by 

plaintiff’s failure to maintain and repair the common elements, such that he had actually 

overpaid his assessments between January 2010 and October 2012. In support of his 

affirmative defenses, defendant relied on this court’s decision in Spanish Court Two 

Condominium Ass’n v. Carlson, 2012 IL App (2d) 110473, ¶ 26, which held that a 

condominium association’s failure to perform its duties with respect to the common elements 

is a defense to a forcible entry and detainer action. 

¶ 6 On March 20, 2014, in a 4 to 3 decision, the supreme court reversed our judgment in part. 

See Spanish Court Two Condominium Ass’n v. Carlson, 2014 IL 115342, ¶ 36. The court held 

that any purported failure by a condominium association to maintain and repair the common 

elements does not nullify an owner’s obligation to pay assessments; such breach by the 

association is neither a legally viable defense to a forcible action nor a matter that is germane to 

such proceedings. Carlson, 2014 IL 115342, ¶ 35. 
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¶ 7 In the period between October 2012 (when defendant filed his original affirmative 

defenses) and March 2014 (when the supreme court issued its decision in Carlson), the parties 

engaged in extensive litigation regarding the sufficiency of defendant’s pleadings. Neither 

party requested a stay of the proceedings while Carlson was pending before the supreme court. 

Defendant represented himself until April 2013, when an attorney first appeared on his behalf. 

In April 2014, the parties settled defendant’s counterclaim. After that point, the dispute 

between the parties focused primarily on the issue of plaintiff’s entitlement to attorney fees. As 

of April 2014, plaintiff was seeking more than $17,000 in attorney fees in connection with this 

action. 

¶ 8 In August 2014, defendant filed his third amended answer and amended affirmative 

defenses. Only defendant’s second, third, and fifth defenses are relevant to this appeal. As his 

second defense, defendant alleged that plaintiff had breached its duty to maintain and repair the 

common elements and that such breach barred plaintiff from recovering contractual attorney 

fees pursuant to its declarations or its rules and regulations. For similar reasons, as his third 

defense, defendant alleged that, in deciding whether to award plaintiff attorney fees pursuant to 

section 9-111 of the forcible statute, the court should consider that (1) plaintiff breached its 

fiduciary duties, (2) plaintiff had unclean hands, and (3) when this action was originally filed, 

defendant’s arrearage was justified by this court’s decision in Carlson. As his fifth affirmative 

defense, defendant asserted “lack of causation.” Specifically, he alleged that plaintiff’s 

attorney fees were a direct result of its own breach of its contractual, fiduciary, and statutory 

obligations to maintain and repair the condominium’s common elements.

¶ 9 In January 2015, the court set deadlines for written discovery but ordered that the parties 

would not engage in oral discovery. In April 2015, defendant filed what he styled as a motion 

in limine, in which he requested sanctions against plaintiff for failing to comply with the rules 

of discovery. One of the alleged discovery violations was plaintiff’s failure to provide an 

affidavit of compliance certifying that document production was complete. See Ill. S. Ct. R. 

214(c) (eff. July 1, 2014). As a sanction, defendant moved the court to bar plaintiff from 

prosecuting its claims for late fees and attorney fees. 

¶ 10 The court denied defendant’s motion but ordered plaintiff to answer any outstanding 

discovery and to furnish an affidavit of compliance. On May 11, 2015, plaintiff’s president, 

Lynne Mastrogany, signed an affidavit attesting that she was familiar with defendant’s request 

for production of documents, plaintiff’s response to that request, and the documents produced 

in response to that request. Mastrogany continued: “The Association’s response and 

production of documents in its possession that are responsive to the Defendant’s First Request 

for Production of Documents is complete, to the best of my knowledge, information and 

belief.”

¶ 11 The matter proceeded to trial on August 3, 2015. The parties stipulated that defendant 

owed $8154.75 for assessments, and plaintiff thus decided that it had no need to call any 

witnesses. Plaintiff tendered its third amended fee petition to the court, requesting attorney fees 

of $48,835 and costs of $287.95. 

¶ 12 In his case-in-chief, defendant introduced evidence detailing both the extensive water 

damage to his unit that began in December 2010 and plaintiff’s failure to timely remediate that 

damage. For purposes of this appeal, it will suffice to say that defendant’s unit remained 

severely water damaged until 2013, when plaintiff paid for the necessary repairs. 
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¶ 13 During defendant’s case-in-chief, he also elicited certain testimony that later became the 

basis for a second motion for sanctions. Defendant took the position that plaintiff had incurred 

unnecessary legal expenses in this action, so defense counsel asked a number of questions at 

trial regarding plaintiff’s process of supervising its attorneys. Gyneen Goodwin, an employee 

of the company that managed the condominium property, testified that she contracted with and 

communicated with plaintiff’s lawyers but that she did not supervise or manage them. She 

testified that she did not consult with plaintiff’s lawyers with respect to the decisions made in 

connection with the case. When asked who was supervising plaintiff’s lawyers, she responded: 

“Well, Inverrary. We’re contracting with them as their attorneys.” To her knowledge, there 

was nobody on plaintiff’s board or at the management company who made decisions about 

what plaintiff’s lawyers did in the case. On cross-examination by plaintiff’s counsel, Goodwin 

testified that when an account is turned over for collection, she does not supervise every aspect 

of the case. She explained that she received monthly invoices from plaintiff’s attorneys and 

that, to her knowledge, they had not done anything unauthorized. 

¶ 14 Defendant also questioned Mastrogany, the president of the association, about the 

supervision of plaintiff’s counsel. When asked whether she supervised plaintiff’s lawyers 

during the course of this litigation, she responded: “We do not supervise our attorneys.” On 

cross-examination by plaintiff’s counsel, Mastrogany testified that all of the charges in 

plaintiff’s third amended fee petition were in accordance with the collection of assessments 

and therefore were authorized by plaintiff. 

¶ 15 Another issue that arose at trial was whether plaintiff had produced all documents in its 

possession that were responsive to defendant’s discovery requests. Defendant was particularly 

concerned about whether plaintiff’s counsel had improperly withheld certain work reports 

prepared by Dick Fensterle, who at one time had worked as a building engineer at the 

condominium property. Goodwin testified that she searched her computer for any work reports 

completed by Fensterle relating to defendant’s unit. Asked what she found, she responded: “I 

don’t have it with me. I turned it all over to counsel.” When asked specifically whether she 

found any work orders completed by Fensterle, she testified that she “did see some information 

from [him] regarding water,” but she “handed it all over to counsel.”

¶ 16 One final discovery issue that arose at trial pertained to the certificate of discovery 

compliance that Mastrogany had signed. As noted above, Mastrogany averred in her affidavit 

that she was familiar with defendant’s request for production of documents, plaintiff’s 

response to that request, and the documents produced by plaintiff. At trial, she acknowledged 

having signed the affidavit. However, she testified that she had not personally seen either 

defendant’s request or the documents that were produced by plaintiff. 

¶ 17 On the day scheduled for closing arguments, defendant filed a motion for sanctions 

pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 219(c) (eff. July 1, 2002). He argued that 

Mastrogany’s trial testimony contradicted her affidavit’s assertion that she was familiar with 

the discovery request and response. Defendant contended that he was prejudiced by this false 

affidavit because his counsel prepared for trial with the expectation that Mastrogany was 

familiar with the documents. According to defendant, sanctions were also appropriate because 

plaintiff withheld documents, specifically, work orders created by Fensterle. Defendant 

proposed that it would be appropriate to award him attorney fees or to dismiss the action with 

prejudice. 
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¶ 18 The court entered a briefing schedule on defendant’s motion for sanctions and heard 

closing arguments from the parties. During plaintiff’s closing argument, the court questioned 

plaintiff’s counsel extensively about particular charges in the fee petition. In defendant’s 

closing argument, his counsel urged the court to consider a number of factors when 

determining whether to award plaintiff attorney fees, including: plaintiff’s failure to fulfill its 

contractual obligations to maintain the common elements and repair the damage to defendant’s 

unit, defendant’s right to rely on our decision in Carlson until it was reversed by the supreme 

court, and plaintiff’s failure to supervise its attorneys to stop them from using this case as “an 

ATM machine.”

¶ 19 On November 20, 2015, the court made a lengthy record of its reasons for rejecting 

defendant’s affirmative defenses. Among those reasons was that, in light of the supreme 

court’s decision in Carlson, the court could not take plaintiff’s alleged wrongful actions into 

account when awarding fees. However, the court thoroughly scrutinized plaintiff’s fee petition 

and ultimately awarded plaintiff $23,300, less than half the requested amount. The court 

announced its judgment as follows: 

“Accordingly, I will enter an in personam money judgment against [defendant] in the 

amount of $8,159.85[1] for unpaid assessments ***, and an in rem judgment against 

[defendant’s unit] for the same amount, and an order of possession of the unit pursuant 

to [section 9-111 of the forcible statute]. I will stay enforcement of the order of 

possession for a period of 90 days from the entry of this order. 

 Judgment is also entered in favor of plaintiff and against the defendant, in 

personam judgment and in rem judgment against [his unit] in the amount of $23,300 

for attorney’s fees, plus what I believe are the allowable court costs of $211.”

Defense counsel requested clarification regarding the court’s use of the term “in personam

judgment,” arguing that “the judgment is enforceable only against the condominium property 

rather than against any other asset held by the unit owner.” After a discussion between the 

court and the parties, the court rejected defendant’s position.

¶ 20 On March 11, 2016, the court denied defendant’s posttrial motion as well as his motion for

sanctions. In announcing its ruling on the motion for sanctions, the court questioned how 

Mastrogany could have made the statements in her affidavit without having reviewed 

defendant’s discovery request and plaintiff’s response. The court explained that it was not as 

concerned with Mastrogany’s assertion that she was “familiar” with the documents at issue as 

it was that Mastrogany had averred that discovery was complete “to the best of [her] 

knowledge, information and belief.” According to the court, “information and belief” was 

insufficient for such an affidavit, and the affidavit was “misleading.” Nevertheless, the 

affidavit did not amount to a discovery violation that warranted sanctions under Rule 219(c). 

The court explained that it “had no indication that Miss Mastrogany was not acting in good 

faith.” The court also considered that, although defendant had acted diligently in requesting 

discovery and there was some surprise to the defense at trial, there was “no solid evidence” that 

plaintiff had withheld any of Fensterle’s reports because the attorneys failed to ask follow-up 

questions of the witnesses at trial. Furthermore, according to the court, when Mastrogany 

 

1The parties had stipulated at the beginning of trial that defendant owed $8154.75 for unpaid 

assessments. The court’s written order of November 20, 2015, entered judgment in the amount of 

$8159.75. Neither party makes an issue of these discrepancies on appeal. 
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admitted her lack of personal knowledge of the documents tendered in discovery, defendant 

could have requested a trial recess or an additional certificate of compliance to ensure that 

plaintiff’s counsel had indeed turned over all relevant documents. Moreover, the court found 

that defendant was not prejudiced, given that he presented ample evidence that plaintiff had 

“just kind of sat on their [sic] hands” with respect to his damaged unit. Even if some work 

orders existed, they would not have added anything to the case, given that the supreme court’s 

decision in Carlson indicated that plaintiff’s breach of its duties was not relevant to 

defendant’s duty to pay assessments.

¶ 21 Defendant timely appealed. 

¶ 22 II. ANALYSIS 

¶ 23 A. Enforcing a Judgment Entered Pursuant to 

 Section 9-111(a) of the Forcible Statute 

¶ 24 Defendant first argues that neither the forcible statute nor the Condominium Act imposes a 

personal obligation on him to satisfy the judgment for unpaid assessments, costs, and attorney 

fees, apart from having to surrender the use and benefit of his condominium unit. According to 

defendant, “[t]here is no case law or statutory section that provides a condominium association 

the right to levy a unit owner’s assets to satisfy a money judgment entered under the forcible 

entry and detainer statute.” Instead, he proposes, the appropriate remedy “is simply possession 

until the condominium association is paid by the unit owner or through rental income.”

¶ 25 Defendant’s argument requires us to interpret section 9-111(a) of the forcible statute, and 

our review is de novo. State Place Condominium Ass’n v. Magpayo, 2016 IL App (1st) 

140426, ¶ 20. “The primary rule of statutory construction is to ascertain and give effect to the 

legislature’s intent.” Bueker v. Madison County, 2016 IL 120024, ¶ 13. “The best indication of 

that intent is found in the statutory language, given its plain and ordinary meaning.” Price v. 

Philip Morris, Inc., 2015 IL 117687, ¶ 30. We read the statute as a whole and avoid construing 

it in a manner that would render any portion meaningless or superfluous. Weather-Tite, Inc. v. 

University of St. Francis, 233 Ill. 2d 385, 390 (2009). 

¶ 26 Section 9-111(a) of the forcible statute provides, in relevant part: 

“As to property subject to the provisions of the ‘Condominium Property Act’, *** 

when the action is based upon the failure of an owner of a unit therein to pay when due 

his or her proportionate share of the common expenses of the property, *** and if the 

court finds that the expenses or fines are due to the plaintiff, the plaintiff shall be 

entitled to the possession of the whole of the premises claimed, and judgment in favor 

of the plaintiff shall be entered for the possession thereof and for the amount found due 

by the court including interest and late charges, if any, together with reasonable 

attorney’s fees, if any, and for the plaintiff’s costs. The awarding of reasonable 

attorney’s fees shall be pursuant to the standards set forth in subsection (b) of this 

Section 9-111. The court shall, by order, stay the enforcement of the judgment for 

possession for a period of not less than 60 days from the date of the judgment and may 

stay the enforcement of the judgment for a period not to exceed 180 days from such 

date. Any judgment for money or any rent assignment under subsection (b) of Section 

9-104.2 is not subject to this stay. *** If at any time, either during or after the period of 

stay, the defendant pays such expenses found due by the court, and costs, and 
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reasonable attorney’s fees as fixed by the court, and the defendant is not in arrears on 

his or her share of the common expenses for the period subsequent to that covered by 

the judgment, the defendant may file a motion to vacate the judgment in the court in 

which the judgment was entered, and, if the court, upon the hearing of such motion, is 

satisfied that the default in payment of the proportionate share of expenses has been 

cured, and if the court finds that the premises are not presently let by the board of 

managers as provided in Section 9-111.1 of this Act, the judgment shall be vacated. If 

the premises are being let by the board of managers as provided in Section 9-111.1 of 

this Act, when any judgment is sought to be vacated, the court shall vacate the 

judgment effective concurrent with the expiration of the lease term. Unless defendant 

files such motion to vacate in the court or the judgment is otherwise stayed, 

enforcement of the judgment may proceed immediately upon the expiration of the 

period of stay and all rights of the defendant to possession of his or her unit shall cease 

and determine until the date that the judgment may thereafter be vacated in accordance 

with the foregoing provisions, and notwithstanding payment of the amount of any 

money judgment if the unit owner or occupant is in arrears for the period after the date 

of entry of the judgment as provided in this Section. Nothing herein contained shall be 

construed as affecting the right of the board of managers, or its agents, to any lawful 

remedy or relief other than that provided by Part 1 of Article IX of this Act.” 735 ILCS 

5/9-111(a) (West 2014). 

Defendant interprets this provision as limiting plaintiff’s remedy to taking possession of his 

unit and either (1) waiting for him to repay what is owed or (2) leasing the unit to a third party 

and applying any rents toward his debt. 

¶ 27 The plain language of the statute does not support defendant’s interpretation. Section 

9-111(a) allows a condominium association to obtain a judgment for possession of the 

premises as well as a money judgment. The statute requires the trial court to “stay the 

enforcement of the judgment for possession” for 60 to 180 days but specifies that “[a]ny 

judgment for money *** is not subject to this stay.” 735 ILCS 5/9-111(a) (West 2014). If, as 

defendant urges, a condominium association’s method of enforcing any judgment obtained 

pursuant to section 9-111(a) is limited to physical possession of the delinquent unit, there 

would be no reason for the legislature to exempt the money judgment from the stay that applies 

to the judgment of possession. The legislature thus unquestionably intended to allow a 

condominium association to enforce its money judgment even while the judgment for 

possession is stayed. 

¶ 28 Furthermore, section 9-111(a) of the forcible statute does not impose any particular 

limitations on an association’s mechanisms for enforcing its money judgment, and we are not 

authorized to read such limitations into the statute. See Weather-Tite, Inc., 233 Ill. 2d at 390 

(“We we will not depart from a statute’s plain language by reading into it exceptions, 

limitations, or conditions that conflict with the legislative intent.”). To the contrary, the statute 

explicitly provides that “[n]othing herein contained shall be construed as affecting the right of 

the board of managers, or its agents, to any lawful remedy or relief other than that provided by 

Part 1 of Article IX of this Act.” 735 ILCS 5/9-111(a) (West 2014). This language suggests 

that a condominium association may attempt to collect its money judgment by any lawful 

means available to judgment creditors generally. 
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¶ 29 Defendant contends that our interpretation of section 9-111(a) of the forcible statute would 

render section 9-111.1 superfluous and unnecessary. Section 9-111.1 gives a condominium 

association the right, but not the obligation, to lease a defendant’s unit to a third party upon the 

expiration of the stay of the judgment for possession and specifies that such rents are applied 

against the defendant’s delinquent assessments and the money judgment. 735 ILCS 5/9-111.1 

(West 2014). Defendant likewise proposes that cases such as Knolls Condominium Ass’n v. 

Harms, 202 Ill. 2d 450 (2002), and Gotham Lofts Condominium Ass’n v. Kaider, 2013 IL App 

(1st) 120400, support his argument that plaintiff must take possession of his unit and either 

wait for payment or lease the property to a third party. 

¶ 30 Nothing in section 9-111.1 or the cases that defendant cites indicates that this is plaintiff’s 

only means of enforcing its money judgment. Contrary to defendant’s suggestion, a 

condominium association’s option of leasing the property to a third party is not rendered 

superfluous or unnecessary just because the association may have other means of enforcing its 

money judgment. Where a unit owner has limited income and assets, the option of leasing the 

premises to a third party may be the only way to collect on the judgment. Even if the unit owner 

is not truly “judgment proof,” a condominium association might find it easier and more 

cost-efficient to lease the premises to a third party than to attempt to collect from the owner 

personally. 

¶ 31 In further support of his argument, defendant emphasizes that the relationship between a 

condominium association and a condominium owner is different from a landlord-tenant 

relationship. According to defendant, plaintiff “does not have a contractual right to collect 

unpaid assessments from [defendant’s] general assets[,] contrary to a landlord’s ability to 

collect unpaid rent from a breach of lease from a tenant.” Defendant also notes that the 

Condominium Act provides that the failure of a unit owner to pay toward the common 

expenses creates a lien on the owner’s interest in the property (see 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) (West 

2014)) and that an association’s attorney fees incurred due to an owner’s default are deemed 

part of the owner’s share of the common expenses (765 ILCS 605/9.2(b) (West 2014)). 

Moreover, defendant asserts that the applicable condominium declaration does not impose a 

general personal liability on him as a unit owner, apart from “being responsible to the 

association in the event the association enforces its lien rights against the condominium at 

issue.”

¶ 32 Defendant’s arguments miss the point. Irrespective of any liens created pursuant to the 

Condominium Act and irrespective of any rights under the condominium declaration, section 

9-111(a) of the forcible statute provides for a money judgment when a unit owner fails to pay 

his assessments. As explained above, section 9-111(a) of the forcible statute does not limit the 

available remedies in the manner that defendant suggests. This is a matter of statutory 

interpretation, not contract law. 

¶ 33 We note that plaintiff maintains that defendant’s interpretation of section 9-111(a) of the 

forcible statute conflicts with section 9-107. Section 9-107 provides that where a defendant is 

not personally served in the action, the court may enter an in rem judgment against the unit for 

the amount owed but may not enter a personal judgment against the defendant. 735 ILCS 

5/9-107 (West 2014). It appears that plaintiff construes defendant’s position to be that section 

9-111(a) contemplates only in rem judgments, not in personam judgments. In his reply brief, 

defendant clarifies that he does not dispute that section 9-111(a) allows for a “personal 

judgment” against a condominium owner, such as himself, who is subject to personal service. 
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Instead, he contends that a condominium association may not enforce such a judgment by any 

means other than taking possession of the subject unit. For the reasons explained above, 

defendant’s argument contradicts the plain language of section 9-111(a). Accordingly, we 

need not consider whether defendant’s interpretation of section 9-111(a) is also inconsistent 

with section 9-107.

¶ 34 B. Applicability of Defendant’s Affirmative Defenses to the Trial Court’s

 Determination of Plaintiff’s Reasonable Attorney Fees

¶ 35 Defendant next contends that the trial court erred by holding that the factors raised by his 

affirmative defenses could not, as a matter of law, be considered under section 9-111(b) of the 

forcible statute. Section 9-111(b) provides: 

“For purposes of determining reasonable attorney’s fees under subsection (a), the court 

shall consider:

 (i) the time expended by the attorney; 

 (ii) the reasonableness of the hourly rate for the work performed; 

 (iii) the reasonableness of the amount of time expended for the work 

performed; and 

 (iv) the amount in controversy and the nature of the action.” 735 ILCS 

5/9-111(b) (West 2014). 

According to defendant, the trial court should have considered, as part of the “nature of the 

action,” that defendant “withheld his assessments before and throughout the litigation 

believing he had the right to do so, defended the case based on the law of the Second District, 

and pursued a counterclaim based on the law of the Second District.” He submits that it would 

be unreasonable for plaintiff to recover attorney fees during the “time period when [defendant] 

believed his defense was meritorious.” (Presumably, defendant is talking about fees incurred 

by plaintiff prior to March 20, 2014, when the supreme court issued its opinion in Carlson

reversing this court’s decision.) Defendant also contends that the trial court should have 

considered as part of the “nature of the action” all the factors raised by his second, third, and 

fifth affirmative defenses. 

¶ 36 Defendant’s second, third, and fifth affirmative defenses each pertained to plaintiff’s 

alleged failure to maintain the common elements and repair his condominium unit. 

Specifically, as his second affirmative defense, defendant alleged that plaintiff was barred 

from recovering any contractual attorney fees that were authorized by the condominium 

declarations and the applicable rules and regulations because plaintiff was in breach of its own 

contractual, fiduciary, and statutory obligations. As his third affirmative defense, defendant 

similarly alleged that plaintiff’s lawyers “improperly defended wrongful conduct” in 

connection with plaintiff’s failure to repair his unit and “improperly perpetuated this 

litigation.” He further alleged in his third defense that, when plaintiff filed this action, our 

opinion in Carlson justified his assessment arrearage because “he had suffered significant 

losses at the hands of plaintiff’s wrongful conduct.” He also noted in his third defense that he 

had incurred substantial attorney fees of his own as a result of plaintiff’s failure to repair his 

unit. Accordingly, he submitted that “plaintiff brought this forcible entry and detainer action at 

a time when it had unclean hands and was in breach of its fiduciary and statutory duties,” and 

he urged the court to disallow any award of attorney fees. As his fifth defense, defendant 
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asserted “lack of causation” because “the attorney fees incurred by the plaintiff are the direct 

result, in the first instance, of plaintiff’s breach of its contractual, fiduciary, and statutory 

obligations in failing to maintain and repair common elements.”

¶ 37 The trial court properly declined to consider the various factors raised by defendant when 

determining plaintiff’s award of attorney fees. Section 9-106 of the forcible statute provides 

that a defendant may not introduce “by joinder, counterclaim or otherwise” any matters that are 

“not germane to the distinctive purpose” of the forcible entry and detainer proceedings. 735 

ILCS 5/9-106 (West 2014). In Carlson, our supreme court held that a condominium 

association’s failure to repair or maintain the common elements is not germane to the 

proceedings and cannot be raised as a defense. Carlson, 2014 IL 115342, ¶ 1. Supreme court 

decisions typically apply retroactively to cases that are pending when they are announced 

(Heastie v. Roberts, 226 Ill. 2d 515, 535 (2007)), and defendant does not dispute that this 

general rule applies here. 

¶ 38 Pursuant to our supreme court’s decision in Carlson, it is clear that defendant’s affirmative 

defenses pertained to matters that were not germane to the forcible entry and detainer 

proceeding. Defendant emphasizes that the supreme court in Carlson “never addressed any 

issue relating to attorney fees.” Nevertheless, Carlson clearly applies to the present case. If 

plaintiff’s failure to fulfill its obligations to maintain and repair the common elements was 

never germane to the proceedings in the first place, there was no reason for the trial court to 

consider that issue as part of the “nature of the action” when fashioning plaintiff’s award of 

attorney fees. To rule otherwise would create an absurd result, which we must presume the 

legislature did not intend. Valfer v. Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, 2016 IL 119220, ¶ 22. 

As the trial court aptly noted, defendant was attempting to “bring in through the back door 

what [the supreme court] says cannot be brought in through the front door.” To the extent that 

defendant insists that he reasonably relied on this court’s decision in Carlson before it was 

reversed by the supreme court, we note that he did not request a stay of the present proceedings 

while our decision in Carlson was under review. Instead, both parties litigated this case 

aggressively from start to finish. Accordingly, the trial court properly refused to consider the 

matters raised by defendant when determining the amount of plaintiff’s reasonable attorney 

fees. 

¶ 39 C. Reasonableness of Plaintiff’s Attorney Fees

¶ 40 In a related argument, defendant contends that “when considering the ‘nature of the action’ 

under 735 ILCS 5/9-111(b), the attorney fee award of $23,000 is unreasonable.” Defendant 

does not challenge the propriety of any specific charge that the trial court allowed. Instead, he 

again emphasizes plaintiff’s purported breaches of its fiduciary, statutory, and contractual 

duties and argues that plaintiff failed to supervise its attorneys. Having rejected defendant’s 

contention that the trial court was obligated to consider the affirmative defenses when 

awarding attorney fees, we need not consider these matters further. However, we note that the 

trial court closely scrutinized plaintiff’s fee petition and awarded less than half of the requested 

amount. 
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¶ 41 D. Sanctions 

¶ 42 Finally, defendant argues that plaintiff should be sanctioned for filing a false affidavit of 

compliance. According to defendant, “Mastrogany, and her counsel, deliberately executed, 

and filed, a false affidavit of compliance required by Supreme Court Rule 214.” Furthermore, 

defendant insists that “it was learned during trial that there were *** documents in the form of 

work orders that had not been produced.” Defendant asserts that “[t]he scheme devised by 

[plaintiff], and its lawyers, was to set up a barrier so that counsel for [defendant] could not ask 

any questions of any person associated with [plaintiff] who had knowledge about the 

documents themselves or about the production of documents.” Defendant asks us to sanction 

plaintiff by barring its claim for attorney fees. In the alternative, he requests a sanction in the 

form of a fine or an order for plaintiff to pay his attorney fees on appeal. 

¶ 43 “The imposition of sanctions for the noncompliance with discovery rules and orders rests 

largely within the sound discretion of the trial court and will not be disturbed on review absent 

a clear abuse of discretion.” Blott v. Hanson, 283 Ill. App. 3d 656, 661 (1996). Sanctions may 

be imposed where a party’s failure to comply is unreasonable, which occurs where “the 

offending party’s conduct is characterized by a deliberate and pronounced disregard for the 

rules and the court.” Klairmont v. Elmhurst Radiologists, 200 Ill. App. 3d 638, 644 (1990). 

Sanctions should be designed to coerce compliance rather than to punish the offending party. 

Rosen v. The Larkin Center, Inc., 2012 IL App (2d) 120589, ¶ 17. “To the maximum extent 

that is practicable, sanctions should be customized to address the nature and extent of the harm 

while prescribing a cure to the specific offense.” Locasto v. City of Chicago, 2014 IL App (1st) 

113576, ¶ 27.

¶ 44 The record reflects that the trial court carefully considered defendant’s allegations that 

plaintiff committed discovery violations. The court acknowledged that Mastrogany’s affidavit 

was “misleading” in certain respects. Nevertheless, the court found that there was no indication 

that she had acted in bad faith. The court also detailed its reasons for declining to impose 

sanctions. One reason was the lack of “solid evidence” that plaintiff had actually withheld 

documents from defendant. Another reason was that defendant could have requested an 

additional certificate of compliance during trial rather than waiting to file a motion for 

sanctions after the close of evidence. A third reason was that defendant had suffered no 

prejudice, given that (1) he had introduced ample other evidence proving that plaintiff had 

failed to timely repair his damaged unit and (2) plaintiff’s alleged breaches were not relevant to 

the issues at trial. The court’s assessment of the circumstances was reasonable, and we cannot 

say that there was an abuse of discretion. For the same reasons, we likewise decline to impose 

any sanction on plaintiff. 

¶ 45 We note that, in its prayer for relief, plaintiff asks for leave to file a petition for attorney 

fees and costs related to this appeal. In the alternative, plaintiff asks for the case to be 

remanded to the trial court for further proceedings related to that issue. Plaintiff cites no 

authority demonstrating its right to appellate fees. Nor does it identify the source of the 

purported right to such relief. For example, is the right to fees a contractual right, a statutory 

right, or a sanction? Having failed to present a cogent argument in support of its request, any 

argument that could have been made is forfeited. See Sherman Hospital v. Wingren, 169 Ill. 

App. 3d 161, 165 (1988) (party forfeited its request for appellate attorney fees where it cited no 

authority and provided no reasoned argument in support of its contention). 
- 12 - 

¶ 46 In its prayer for relief, plaintiff likewise asks us to remand the case to the trial court for 

further proceedings related to attorney fees and costs incurred in connection with the posttrial 

motion and the motion for sanctions. Plaintiff’s request is untimely. After the trial court denied 

defendant’s posttrial motion and his motion for sanctions on March 11, 2016, plaintiff’s 

counsel orally requested 14 days to file a supplemental fee petition related to litigating those 

motions. The court responded that it was “a little surprised” that plaintiff’s counsel would seek 

attorney fees related to the motion for sanctions, given that “the affidavit was misleading, at 

least[,] if not false.” With respect to the posttrial motion, the court said that it “suppose[d]” that 

counsel could file such a request. The court indicated that it could not stop plaintiff from filing 

a motion, adding that the court would be happy to rule on such a motion if it were filed, briefed, 

and argued. Plaintiff’s counsel then asked: “But no language with respect to leave to file in the 

order or can we include such language, just to make clear that we do have at least leave to [sic] 

or are you suggesting I simply bring a motion for leave to file it?” The court replied: “You can 

bring a motion for leave to file it. I’m not going to grant it now in an oral motion.” Despite the 

court’s oral ruling, plaintiff never filed a written motion seeking leave to file a supplemental 

fee petition. Instead, plaintiff filed only the actual fee petition, and it did not do so within the 14 

days that had been requested. The petition was never brought to the court’s attention, and the 

court never ruled on it. Accordingly, plaintiff’s request for these fees is untimely and is not 

properly before this court. 

¶ 47 III. CONCLUSION 

¶ 48 The judgment of the circuit court of Lake County is affirmed. 

¶ 49 Affirmed.