Court Opinion

ID: 9723602
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 10:22:48.659395+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:50.344279
License: Public Domain

PRESIDING JUSTICE COOK, dissenting: I respectfully dissent. I agree with the First, Second, and Third Districts that trial courts should not sua sponte and summarily dismiss section 2 — 1401 petitions as frivolous and without merit. It would be wonderful if trial courts could predict, the day cases are filed, whether they will ultimately be successful, and dismiss those which will not. Our rules of civil procedure, however, have long recognized the impossibility of that task and required that cases go forward even when the trial court has doubts about them. A motion to dismiss may be granted only when the plaintiff has failed to state a cause of action, and leave to amend must be granted unless plaintiff can never state a cause of action. A motion for summary judgment may be granted only when there is no genuine issue of material fact. We should not make a radical change in our rules of civil procedure simply to deal with the problems of inmate litigation. Unless we limit the change to inmate litigation cases, we create tremendous uncertainty for all future civil cases. Even if we were the legislature, contemplating a special rule for inmate litigation, questions remain. Is all inmate litigation frivolous and without merit? If it is, why do we not simply bar it all? If it is not, how does a trial judge determine merit sua sponte before the parties are even allowed to respond? Premature attempts to dismiss meritless cases often result in increased, not reduced, litigation.