Court Opinion

ID: 9533924
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 04:35:32.601962+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:29:13.226768
License: Public Domain

PRESIDING JUSTICE KNECHT delivered the opinion of the court: On February 11, 1998, plaintiff, Mildred Wilson (Millie), filed a complaint against defendants, Devonshire Realty of Danville (Devon-shire) and Stradeco, Inc. (Stradeco), for injuries sustained from negligent exposure to noxious chemicals at her place of employment. In July 1998, defendants moved for summary judgment, arguing plaintiffs complaint was time-barred by the two-year statute of limitations period for personal injuries. On August 25, 1998, the trial court granted defendants’ motions. Plaintiff appeals, arguing the trial court erred in granting summary judgment because a genuine issue of material fact existed in the record. We disagree and affirm. I. BACKGROUND The record on appeal reveals the following. Plaintiff was employed by Devonshire as a realtor pursuant to an independent contract agreement. Devonshire provided office facilities for plaintiff, together with supplies and staff to accomplish the purpose of the independent contract agreement. Plaintiff sold real estate property for Devonshire from its facility at 3100 North Vermilion in Danville, Illinois. On or about September 1, 1994, defendant Devonshire began remodeling its North Vermilion facility. Plaintiff and other staff members continued to conduct business in the building during the renovations. Devonshire hired numerous contractors, including Stradeco, to perform renovations in the building. Stradeco was retained in September 1994 to paint several pieces of office furniture in the facility. In plaintiffs deposition taken on June 22, 1998, plaintiff testified as follows. She experienced signs of illness as soon as she began working in the building in December 1994 or January 1995. Specifically, she experienced respiratory problems while working in the building. At that same time, she experienced skin irritation, which included itching and burning sensations. Due to the strong, unpleasant odors that were present in the building, she attempted to minimize time spent at the office. In January 1995, she was aware of at least six other staff members who were experiencing problems similar to her own. Among those staff members affected, two people were ordered by their doctors not to enter the building. At an office meeting in January 1995, discussions occurred as to whether the building was causing illness among staff members. Similarly, staff members frequently speculated among themselves some condition of the building was the cause of the various illnesses suffered by those working in the building. At the request of Devonshire, Reed Environmental (Reed) performed indoor air quality tests at the facility in January 1995. In her deposition, plaintiff claimed she was repeatedly told by Devonshire the environmental tests showed no problem existed within the building. Likewise, in an affidavit, plaintiff stated Devonshire repeatedly assured her throughout 1995 and 1996 the building was not the cause of her health problems. Plaintiffs health problems persisted throughout 1995. As a result, she met with the managing broker of Devonshire on August 22, 1995, specifically to discuss whether the building renovations were the cause of her health problems. Immediately thereafter, on August 23, 1995, plaintiff consulted Dr. Philbert Chen, an occupational physician, about a possible connection between her symptoms and the building renovations. According to Dr. Chen’s records, plaintiff informed him when she first entered her office building she noticed a strong odor, which caused temporary respiratory distress and an itching sensation over her skin. Plaintiff discussed at length with Dr. Chen whether the building was the source of her medical problems. Specifically, Dr. Chen’s records indicate he informed plaintiff he was “unsure of any connection with her work exposure to her current symptomatology” Plaintiff continued to work in the facility throughout 1995 and 1996. On April 20, 1997, plaintiff experienced á loss of consciousness that caused her to seek medical treatment. On April 27, 1997, Dr. David Purcells, a pulmonary specialist, diagnosed plaintiff with a pulmonary illness and suggested to plaintiff the illness could have been caused by irritants in the workplace. Thereafter, plaintiff met with an employee of Reed to obtain information regarding the results of the air quality tests performed at the building. Plaintiff thereafter ceased acting as an independent contractor for Devonshire. On February 11, 1998, plaintiff filed her complaint against defendants, alleging she developed symptoms of occupational asthma and multiple chemical sensitivity after January 1, 1995, as a result of negligent exposure to noxious chemicals. The trial court granted defendants’ motions for summary judgment, finding plaintiffs complaint was untimely under the applicable two-year statute of limitations. This appeal followed. On appeal, plaintiff argues the trial court erred in granting summary judgment in favor of the defendants based on the expiration of the statute of limitations. Specifically, plaintiff argues (1) a genuine issue of material fact existed as to the date upon which the plaintiff knew or should have known a cause of action existed against defendants; (2) defendants fraudulently concealed the wrongful cause of plaintiffs injury; and (3) plaintiff was unable to conduct sufficient discovery. In response, defendants argue the trial court properly granted summary judgment as the only conclusion to be drawn from the undisputed facts was plaintiff failed to file her complaint within the two-year limitations period. II. ANALYSIS  Summary judgment is appropriate when the pleadings, depositions and affidavits, construed in the light most favorable to the nonmovant, present no issue of material fact and show judgment should be granted as a matter of law. The purpose of summary judgment is not to try a question of fact, but rather to determine whether one exists. Golla v. General Motors Corp., 167 Ill. 2d 353, 358, 657 N.E.2d 894, 897 (1995). The timeliness of a complaint is a question of law for the trial court when only one conclusion can be drawn from the undisputed facts. Nolan v. Johns-Manville Asbestos, 85 Ill. 2d 161, 171, 421 N.E.2d 864, 868-69 (1981). In cases involving summary judgment, the appellate court reviews the evidence in the record de novo. Truman L. Flatt & Sons Co. v. Schupf, 271 Ill. App. 3d 983, 986, 649 N.E.2d 990, 993 (1995). The first issue raised on appeal is whether the trial court properly granted summary judgment for the defendants on the ground plaintiffs cause of action was time-barred under the relevant statute of limitations.  In the present case, the applicable limitations period is found in section 13 — 202 of the Code of Civil Procedure (735 ILCS 5/13—202 (West 1998)), which mandates an action for damages for personal injury must be commenced within two years after the cause of action accrues. As a general, rule, a cause of action for personal injury accrues at the time plaintiff suffers injury. Hermitage Corp. v. Contractors Adjustment Co., 166 Ill. 2d 72, 77, 651 N.E.2d 1132, 1135 (1995). However, to mitigate the harsh consequences of the literal application of the limitations period, the judiciary created the “discovery rule.” Knox College v. Celotex Corp., 88 Ill. 2d 407, 414, 430 N.E.2d 976, 979 (1981). The “discovery rule” postpones commencement of the relevant statute of limitations until the injured plaintiff knows or reasonably should know she has been injured and her injury may have been wrongfully caused. Jackson Jordan, Inc. v. Leydig, Voit & Mayer, 158 Ill. 2d 240, 249, 633 N.E.2d 627, 630-31 (1994). The defendants argue plaintiffs complaint filed February 11, 1998, is untimely because her cause of action accrued at the time of her initial symptoms in January 1995 or in the alternative when she sought medical help regarding her condition in August 1995. In response, plaintiff argues the latent nature of her injury triggers the application of the discovery rule to delay commencement of the limitations period until April 1997, the time at which she was diagnosed with a pulmonary illness.  Regardless of whether plaintiffs injury was sustained as a result of a single traumatic event or several ostensibly innocuous circumstances, plaintiffs cause of action accrues when plaintiff knows or reasonably should know she has been injured by the wrongful conduct of another. VaSalle v. Celotex Corp., 161 Ill. App. 3d 808, 810, 515 N.E.2d 684, 686 (1987). The question of when a party knew or reasonably should have known of both an injury and its wrongful cause becomes a question of law for the trial court to determine when only one conclusion can be drawn from the undisputed facts. Witherell v. Weimer, 85 Ill. 2d 146, 156, 421 N.E.2d 869, 874 (1981); Nolan, 85 Ill. 2d at 171, 421 N.E.2d at 868-69. For purposes of the discovery rule, a party has “knowledge” an injury was wrongfully caused so as to commence the running of the limitations period only when the injured person possesses sufficient information to alert a reasonable person of the need to inquire as to whether the cause of injury is actionable at law. Knox College, 88 Ill. 2d at 416, 430 N.E.2d at 980-81. Plaintiff claims until her diagnosis in April 1997 she was both unaware of her injury and unaware of the causal connection between defendants’ actions and her injury. Plaintiff argues she was immediately aware of symptoms of an illness but not the latent pulmonary disease, which was not diagnosed until April 1997. In support of this argument, plaintiff cites the case of Nolan, 85 Ill. 2d at 171, 421 N.E.2d at 868, which involved an action for “latent” physical injuries resulting from asbestos exposure. In this case, the discovery rule operated to toll the running of the limitations period from the time of the initial exposure because the plaintiffs in question did not discover they suffered any injury until long after the tortious conduct occurred. The facts of the present case, however, are inapposite to those of Nolan. Here, plaintiff knew she suffered some injury no later than August 1995. Plaintiffs complaint makes clear she knew she had occupational asthma and multiple chemical sensitivity around January 1, 1995. An affidavit filed by plaintiff states she had conversations with Devonshire throughout 1995 and 1996 in which she discussed with Devonshire whether the illnesses being suffered by herself and others were caused by some condition in the building. In sum, plaintiff expressly admits through her pleadings she was exposed to chemicals as early as December 1994, developed symptoms in January 1995, and raised the question of whether the building was causing her symptoms in August 1995'. Thus, the present case does not involve a plaintiff who failed to discover any injury but, rather, a plaintiff who failed to discover the full extent of her injuries before the expiration of the statute of limitations. Our supreme court held in Golla, 167 Ill. 2d at 364, 657 N.E.2d at 900, that the limitations period commences when the plaintiff is injured, rather than when plaintiff realizes the consequences of the injury or the full extent of the injury. Hence, the undisputed facts demonstrate the plaintiff knew, no later than August 1995, she suffered an injury and the injury may have been wrongfully caused. Once plaintiff was aware of any injury and its possible cause, she was aware of her right to sue. Plaintiff argues although she may have sustained some injury as early as August 1995, she did not know the injury was wrongfully caused until April 1997. Relying on Witherell, 85 Ill. 2d at 155, 421 N.E.2d at 874, plaintiff argues her knowledge of the injury substantially preceded knowledge of its cause so as to delay or toll the running of the limitations period pursuant to the discovery rule. We disagree. As discussed above, the undisputed facts demonstrate plaintiff had conversations with Devonshire throughout 1995 and 1996 in which she questioned whether her illness was caused by some condition in the building. She also knew other staff members experienced similar problems and two had been ordered by their doctors not to enter the building. Further, in August 1995, plaintiff had a lengthy discussion with Dr. Chen as to a possible connection between the building and her illness.  Hence, we find as a matter of law only one conclusion can be drawn from the undisputed facts. The plaintiff had sufficient knowledge of an injury and that knowledge was gained no later than August 1995 and that knowledge was sufficient to put her oh notice her rights had been violated, giving her reasonable opportunity to bring an action within the limitations period. In so finding, we note the purpose of a limitations period is to encourage claimants to investigate and pursue causes of action and to discourage delay in the bringing of claims. See generally Sepmeyer v. Holman, 162 Ill. 2d 249, 262-63, 642 N.E.2d 1242, 1248 (1994). Accordingly, statutes of limitations rest upon the premise “ ‘the right to be free of stale claims in time comes to prevail over the right to prosecute them.’ [Citation.]” Golla, 167 Ill. 2d at 369, 657 N.E.2d at 902. Plaintiff’s second contention on appeal is defendant Devonshire fraudulently concealed and intentionally misled her as to the wrongful cause of her injury. Plaintiff, relying on Huffman v. Gould, 327 Ill. App. 428, 439, 64 N.E.2d 773, 779 (1945), argues Devonshire’s repeated misrepresentations regarding the building’s air quality create a question of fact for the jury as to whether the such fraudulent concealment tolled the statute of limitations or, in the alternative, whether defendants should be equitably estopped from asserting a limitations defense.  To state a prima facie case of fraudulent concealment, plaintiff must allege acts or misrepresentations affirmatively showing fraudulent concealment of a cause of action that prevented the discovery of the cause of action. Pratt v. Sears Roebuck & Co., 71 Ill. App. 3d 825, 830, 390 N.E.2d 471, 475 (1979); Harvey v. Harris Trust & Savings Bank, 73 Ill. App. 3d 280, 286-87, 391 N.E.2d 461, 466 (1979). In the present case, plaintiffs allegations of fraudulent concealment are as follows. Plaintiff claims Devonshire repeatedly assured her the air quality tests demonstrated the building was not the source of her illness. Plaintiff further alleges she discovered in 1997, after contacting Reed, the representations made by Devonshire regarding the air quality were “not entirely truthful.” We conclude, absent any indication plaintiff was prevented from obtaining the results of the environmental tests during the two-year period immediately following her injury, plaintiff fails to state a prima facie case of fraudulent concealment.  Last, plaintiff argues the trial court improperly granted summary judgment in favor of defendants before plaintiff was allowed to conduct sufficient discovery. This issué, however, is forfeited for the purposes of appellate review as plaintiff failed to cite authority in support of her contention. Crawford County State Bank v. Grady, 161 Ill. App. 3d 332, 342-43, 514 N.E.2d 532, 539 (1987); Poelker v. Warrensburg-Latham Community Unit School District No. 11, 251 Ill. App. 3d 270, 275, 621 N.E.2d 940, 945 (1993). III. CONCLUSION For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the circuit court of Vermilion County is affirmed. Affirmed. McCullough, J., concurs.