Court Opinion

ID: 9713698
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 05:20:19.619882+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:20.014116
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE HUTCHINSON, specially concurring: I agree with the majority’s order disposing of the Trust’s appeal in this matter. However, I believe that this court has an obligation to provide certain instructions on remand because I do not agree that the amendment in question (735 ILCS Ann. 5/12 — 112 (Smith-Hurd Supp. 1998)) is clear and unambiguous on its face. The 1997 amendment adds the dimension of intent to the statutory authority. I acknowledge that the determination of intent is within the province of the trier of fact. See, e.g., Edward M. Cohon & Associates, Ltd. v. First National Bank, 249 Ill. App. 3d 929, 936-38 (1993). However, I believe that the language of the 1997 amendment, which is identified as a clarification of the existing statutory authority by the legislature, still leaves the issue of how to determine “sole intent” unclear. To adhere to the cardinal rule of statutory construction, which is “to ascertain and give effect to the legislative purpose and intent of the statute” (Olney Trust Bank v. Pitts, 200 Ill. App. 3d 917, 923 (1990)), it is my opinion that this court “must look to the reasons for the enactment of the statute and purposes to be gained thereby and construe the statute in a manner which is consistent with that purpose.” Olney Trust Bank, 200 Ill. App. 3d at 923. The majority looked at legislative intent, the reasons for the amendment, and the likely purposes to be gained from the statutory authority as amended when it came to the conclusions that (1) the amendment should be considered, and (2) section 5(a) of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (740 ILCS 160/5(a) (West 1996)) was inapplicable to the subject transfer. I would use a similar analysis to assist the trial court in defining and determining “sole intent.” The legislative discussion of March 1997 begins by acknowledging that the goal of the statutory authority remains to protect the property of married couples. More specifically, the legislature was concerned about an unsuspecting wife and/or husband who found herself/himself in a position of losing the family residence as a result of some clandestine or inappropriate action by her/his spouse dealing with the equity in that residence. The legislature was careful during the March 1997 debates, as well as the earlier debates, to recognize the rights of creditors at the same time. However, the later debates make it quite clear that the timing of the transfer of the property into a tenancy by the entirety is very important. Specifically, a statement by the 1997 amendment sponsor indicates that it is “only in a very limited situation, where after there is literally a judgment entered against you, you can’t transfer your property into — from joint tenancy into tenancy by the entirety; you should do it beforehand.” 90th Ill. Gen. Assem., Senate Proceedings, March 17, 1997, at 32 (statements of Senator Cullerton). Furthermore, later in the discussion, Senator Cullerton suggests that the conditions of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act are very clear and that those factors would be helpful in determining actual intent to hinder, delay, or. defraud creditors. 90th Ill. Gen. Assem., Senate Proceedings, March 17, 1997, at 33. However, as correctly noted by the majority, the 1997 amendment does not specifically call for an interface with or application of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act, nor do Senator Cullerton’s remarks require such an interpretation. Instead, I would interpret Senator Cullerton’s remarks to mean that the factors identified in that act could be used as a place to begin when defining and determining “sole intent.” Therefore, I would remand this matter with instructions that the trial court initially consider the 11 factors from section 5(b) of the Uniform Fraudulent Transfer Act (740 ILCS 160/5(b) (West 1996)) and then specifically look to the timing of the transfer to define and determine “sole intent.”