Court Opinion

ID: 9703449
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 23:57:06.372344+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:11:37.450143
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE GEORGE J. MORAN dissenting: The majority holds that the plaintiffs cannot rely upon the exception to the general Limitations Act contained in section 20 (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1967, ch. 83, par. 20) because an administrator for the estate of the deceased was appointed in Indiana and plaintiffs did not initiate their suit within nine months from the date the Indiana estate was opened. In so doing the majority relies upon a theory not advanced by the appellant in the trial court or in this court. If we decide this case on the plain language of section 20 as we should, we are bound by the interpretation given it by Roberts v. Tunnell, 165 Ill. 631, where the court said at 632-633: “The note became due February 7, 1880, and but for the death of the maker the time limited for bringing an action would have expired February 7, 1890. George B. Allen died June 5, 1887,— before the expiration of that time. The cause of action on the note survived, and suit might be brought against his administrator whenever he should be appointed. None was appointed until August 23, 1894, and the bill was filed to foreclose the mortgage in less than one year from such appointment. These facts bring the note within the provision of section 19 of the act in regard to limitations, in force July 1, 1972, as follows: ‘If a person against whom an action may be brought dies before the expiration of the time limited for the commencement thereof, and the cause of action survives, an action may be commenced against his executors or administrators after the expiration of that time, and within one year after the issuing of letters testamentary or of administration.’ By this section, where a cause of action survives and is not barred at the death of the debtor, the creditor is allowed one year after letters of administration are issued in which to bring such action.” Nor do I agree with the majority’s holding in regard to section 24A (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1967, ch. 83, par. 24A). Section 24A applies in situations in which an action is brought within the proper period or initial period of time given by statute and the plaintiff is nonsuited for want of jurisdiction in the initial court. Roth v. Northern Assurance Co., Ltd. (1965), 32 Ill.2d 40, 203 N.E.2d 415. The Supreme Court in holding that Section 24A applies to non-suiting for want of jurisdiction said in Roth at 42-43: “We consider first the defendants’ contention that the statutory reference to a nonsuit’ does not include the dismissal of an action for want of jurisdiction. In 1942 this same contention was considered and rejected by the Circuit Court of Appeals for the seventh Circuit in Sachs v. Ohio National Life Insurance Co. (7th Cir.) 131 F.2d 134. After carefully reviewing the authorities, the court said, ‘The act is remedial, reflecting a legislative intent to protect the party who brings the action in good faith from complete loss of relief on the merits merely because of procedural defect. Such remedial statutes should be liberally construed, so as to prevent destruction of the purpose of the legislation. * * * In both common law nonsuit and dismissal for want of jurisdiction the order is due to some defect in the procedure or proof which prevents a trial on the merits. The obvious purpose of the statute was to give a plaintiff an opportunity to try the merits and it is illogical to assume that the legislature meant to prevent hardship in the case of a nonsuit, but not in that of dismissal for want of jurisdiction. The contrary is clearly intimated in the only pertinent decisions; and by them we are bound. It follows that, as plaintiffs had commenced their new action within a year after the first one had been dismissed for want of jurisdiction, they were not barred.’” Other Illinois cases have supported the filing of new actions under Section 24A when the original suit has been dismissed for want of jurisdiction. In re Estate of Breault, 113 Ill.App.2d 356, 251 N.E.2d 910; Factor v. Carson, Pirie, Scott and Co., C. A. 1968, 393 F.2d 141.