Illinois Code § 131.23

§ 131.23.

Injunctions; prohibitions against voting securities; sequestration of voting securities. (1) Whenever it appears to the Director that any company or any director, officer, employee or agent thereof has committed or is about to commit a violation of this Article or of any rule, regulation, or order issued by the Director hereunder, the Director may apply to the Circuit Court for the county in which the principal office of the company is located or to the Circuit Court for Sangamon County for an order enjoining the company or the director, officer, employee or agent thereof from violating or continuing to violate this Article or any rule, regulation or order, and for any other equitable relief as the nature of the case and the interests of the company's policyholders, creditors or the public may require. In any proceeding, the validity of the rule, regulation or order alleged to have been violated may be determined by the Court. (2) No security or shareholder's or policyholder's proxy which is the subject of any agreement or arrangement regarding acquisition, or which is acquired or to be acquired, in contravention of this Article or of any rule, regulation or order issued by the Director hereunder may be voted at any shareholders' meeting, or may be counted for quorum purposes, and any action of shareholders requiring the affirmative vote of a percentage of securities shall be taken as though such securities (including securities that may be voted pursuant to such proxies) were not issued and outstanding; but no action taken at any such meeting may be invalidated by the voting of such securities or proxies, unless the action would materially affect control of the company or unless any court of this State has so ordered. If the Director has reason to believe that any security or shareholder's or policyholder's proxy of the company has been or is about to be acquired in contravention of this Article or of any rule, regulation or order issued by the Director hereunder the company or the Director may apply to the Circuit Court for Sangamon County or to the Circuit Court for the county in which the company has its principal place of business (a) to enjoin the further pursuit or use of any offer, request, invitation, agreement or acquisition made in contravention of Sections 131.4 through 131.12 or any rule, regulation, or order issued by the Director thereunder; (b) to enjoin the voting of any security or proxy so acquired; (c) to void any vote of such security or proxy already cast at any meeting of shareholders; and (d) for any other equitable relief as the nature of the case and the interests of the company's policyholders, creditors, or the public may require. (3) In any case where a person has acquired or is proposing to acquire any voting securities or shareholder's or policyholder's proxy in violation of this Article or any rule, regulation or order issued by the Director hereunder, the Circuit Court for Sangamon County or the Circuit Court for the county in which the company has its principal place of business may, on such notice as the court deems appropriate, upon the application of the company or the Director seize or sequester any voting securities or shareholder's or policyholder's proxy of the company owned directly or indirectly by such person, and issue any orders with respect thereto as may be appropriate to effectuate this Article. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, for the purposes of this Article, the situs of the ownership of the securities of domestic companies is deemed to be in this State. (4) If the Director has reason to believe that any shareholders' or policyholders' proxies have been or are about to be acquired in contravention of this Article or of any rule, regulations or order issued by the Director hereunder, the Director may apply to the Circuit Court for Sangamon County or to the Circuit Court for the county in which the company has its principal place of business (a) to enjoin further pursuit or use of any offer, request, invitation, agreement or acquisition made in contravention of Section 131.4 through 131.12 and (b) for any other equitable relief as the nature of the case and the interests of the company's policyholders, creditors or the public may require. (Source: P.A. 98-609, eff. 1-1-14.)