Court Opinion

ID: 9743754
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 21:42:11.037731+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:43.247995
License: Public Domain

Mr. JUSTICE HAYES dissenting: My dissent is limited solely to the issue of plaintiffs’ right to a jury trial. On the other issues I concur with the majority. The trial was a bench trial despite plaintiffs’ demand for a jury trial made for the first time just before the trial was to commence. The facts and relevant law as to this particular matter are as follows. Section 64(1) of the Civil Practice Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1965, ch. 110, sec. 64(1)) provides in relevant part as follows: “A plaintiff desirous of a trial by jury must file a demand therefor with the clerk at the time the action is commenced. A defendant desirous of a trial by jury must file a demand therefor not later than the filing of his answer. Otherwise, the party waives a jury * # *. If the plaintiff files a jury demand and thereafter waives a jury, any defendant and, in the case of multiple defendants, if the defendant who filed a jury demand thereafter waives a jury, any other defendant shall be granted a jury trial upon demand therefor made promptly after being advised of the waiver and upon payment of the proper fees, if any, to the clerk.” Hence, when plaintiffs herein came to the point of filing their complaint, they had a choice to make as respects their right to a trial by jury. They made that choice against a background of fact of which we take judicial notice, namely, that in the circuit court of Cook County in 1965 civil cases in which either party had filed a jury demand were reached for trial a very substantial period of time later than civil cases in which no jury demand had been filed. The parties in this case have not disagreed with the average estimate at that time of five years for jury cases and three years for non-jury cases, and we accept that estimate for the purposes of this case. Plaintiffs, then, knew that, should they file a jury demand, as required, at the time of filing their complaint, they would, if successful in their action, have to wait two years longer for a judgment than would be the case, should they forego a jury demand. They, therefore, elected to forego a jury demand. Defendant, however, timely filed its jury demand and plaintiffs were perforce required to, and did, wait the extra two years. After the full wait, in the late morning of 25 May 1970, the case was assigned for trial at 2:00 P.M. that same day. When defendant entered the assigned courtroom some minutes before 2:00 P.M., plaintiffs were told that defendant was about to ask for a short conference with the trial judge for the purpose of apprising him and plaintiffs that defendant was withdrawing its jury demand. At the conference, defendant did withdraw its jury demand, and the trial judge then told plaintiffs that section 64(1) precluded a late jury demand by plaintiffs. At the commencement of the bench trial minutes later, plaintiffs demanded a jury trial, but, after some argument, were denied a jury trial on the basis of section 64(1) and of the trial judge’s obligation to move cases as fast as he could. I am aware that all but one or two cases dealing with the matter of a late jury demand have dealt with a late demand by a defendant or a co-defendant under the circumstances described in the final sentence of section 64(1), which is the only provision specifically dealing with the matter of a late jury demand. I find this situation readily understandable, since section 64(1) contains no provision relating to a late jury demand by plaintiff. The omission of any such provision is equally understandable because the “mischief” with which the final sentence of section 64(1) purports to deal, is the situation in which a party has elected to forego the timely filing of his own jury demand in reliance on the fact that another party has already filed a timely juiy demand. Such reliance then later proves to have been misplaced when the prior party decides to withdraw the jury demand relied upon. The provision in the final sentence of section 64(1) then operates to relieve the relying party from what would otherwise have been the consequences of his reliance by allowing him to file a late jury demand which should be granted when “there is no showing of inconvenience to the court or the parties litigant or prejudice to any rights in any manner whatsoever”. (Hartsock v. Bress (1963), 40 Ill.App.2d 66, 69, 189 N.E.2d 673.) Naturally, no provision is made in section 64(1) for a late jury demand by plaintiff because, in the very nature of things, plaintiff, in failing to file its timely jury demand, can never be in the position of having relied upon a prior timely jury demand by another party. In respect of late jury demands, Hudson v. Leverenz (1957), 10 Ill.2d 87, 139 N.E.2d 255, indicates the basic approach to be taken by the court. The right to a jury trial is, after all, a constitutional right. (1870 Illinois State Constitution, article II, section 5.) The right may be reasonably regulated by the overriding necessity for an orderly judicial process; hence, reasonable time limits may be placed upon its exercise, but any statute purporting to do this “should be liberally construed in favor of the right and the inclination of the court should be to protect and enforce the right”. (Morrison Hotel and Restaurant Company v. Kirsner (1910), 245 Ill. 431 at 433, 92 N.E. 285.) Such liberal construction, however, is itself subject to the further limitation that there be an absence of a showing that the granting of the late jury demand Would substantially inconvenience either the court or the other litigant, or would prejudice any rights in any manner whatsoever. In one sense, it is true to say that plaintiffs had a free initial choice of a jury trial or no, and they exercised that choice by opting against a jury trial. Realistically, however, plaintiffs’ choice was between two values: a jury trial or a substantially earlier adjudication of their action (an estimated two years). For whatever reasons, plaintiffs’ primary value was the shorter time, and for that they sacrificed tire secondary value. Defendant then had the same value choice: for whatever reasons, the primary value for defendant was a jury trial. Defendant’s choice effectively destroyed plaintiffs’ primary value, and plaintiffs had to be content with their secondary value. Then, after the full five-year wait and at the very last moment, defendant withdrew its jury demand, presumably because a bench trial had by then become a superior value for defendant. That plaintiffs still cherished their secondary value is apparent from their immediate motion for leave to file a late jury demand. When defendant objected, the trial court denied plaintiffs’ motion on the basis of section 64(1) and of the court’s obligation to expedite the disposition of cases as much as possible. The result is that defendant has now been able to destroy plaintiffs’ secondary value while achieving both of its own values. In a very real sense, plaintiffs’ choice of values has been rendered wholly illusory, while defendant’s choice has been doubly fulfilled. I think that such a result puts too much strategic leverage within defendant’s power under all the circumstances of this case. Fairness and balance of power between the parties may be restored by allowing plaintiffs, if they see fit, to file a late jury demand. There is no showing of any prejudice or inconvenience to defendant from the allowing of a jury trial, and no showing of any inconvenience to the trial court beyond the possible further delay for a period which would be inconsequential as compared with the two-year additional delay already caused by defendant’s jury demand. I am aware of the provision in section 64(1) that “Otherwise the party waives a jury * * I believe, however, that the following sentence in that subsection demonstrates that the General Assembly intended not to make the waiver absolute, and in addition I rely on the language in Hudson v. Leverenz (1957), 10 Ill.2d 87, 92, 139 N.E.2d 255 (including the statutory provision and the Supreme Court Rule referred to therein), all as cited and quoted in the majority opinion, so that there is no need to repeat it all here. As the time lag between bench and jury trials in civil cases in the circuit court of Cook County is diminished, the necessity for the adjustment which I here would make will diminish, and the matter may then be reconsidered. I would reverse the judgment for plaintiffs and remand the cause to the circuit court of Cook County with directions to allow plaintiffs’ motion for leave to file a late jury demand, and for a retrial to a jury, if plaintiffs see fit to file the late jury demand and pay the appropriate fees within three days of the date on which their motion for leave to file is allowed. Should no late jury demand be filed, I would affirm the judgment for plaintiffs.