Illinois Code § 190

§ 190.

Practice, hearing, order and appeal. (1) The defendant company shall appear within 10 days after the service of the summons as in this Article provided, exclusive of the day of service. If, on the return day of the summons the defendant shall enter its appearance in the action and apply for further time in which to answer, the court shall, upon request of the defendant, extend the time for answering for a period not to exceed 10 days from said return day. If the defendant fails to answer on the return day or within the time granted, or fails to appear, the court shall proceed to hear and determine the cause as herein provided. (2) The court, on the return day of the summons as originally fixed or extended hereunder, shall set the cause for hearing on some day not exceeding 20 days from the return day, or the extended return day as herein provided. (3) No motions or other pleadings, whether to dissolve, modify or continue any injunction or otherwise, shall be filed by, or permitted on behalf of the defendant prior to the filing of an answer to the complaint. All pleadings shall be filed within the time herein provided. (4) The pleadings and proceedings insofar as not otherwise regulated by this Article, shall be as in other civil proceedings. (5) Upon the hearing, at which the complaint and any exhibits filed therewith shall be received as prima facie evidence of the facts therein recited, the court shall enter an order either dismissing the complaint or finding that sufficient cause exists for rehabilitation or liquidation and directing the Director to take possession of the property, business and affairs of such company and to rehabilitate or liquidate the same as the case may be. The Director shall be responsible on his official bond for all assets coming into his possession. (6) An appeal, if taken from such order, shall be prosecuted on an expedited basis as provided for in such cases by Illinois Supreme Court Rule 307. (7) A claim for attorneys' fees incurred by the company in contesting its conservation, rehabilitation, or liquidation may be filed in the proceedings, and the claim may be allowed upon a showing that (i) the attorneys' fees incurred are reasonable; (ii) the board of directors of the company incurred such attorneys' fees based upon their best knowledge, information, and belief formed after reasonable inquiry indicating such contention is well grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument of the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law; and (iii) the contention is not pursued for any improper purpose, including harassment, unnecessary delay in the proceedings, or waste of estate assets. Such claims, if allowed, shall be accorded a priority of distribution under paragraph (g) of subsection (1) of Section 205. This subsection (7) applies to all liquidation, rehabilitation, or conservation proceedings that are pending on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1993 and to all future liquidation, rehabilitation, or conservation proceedings. (Source: P.A. 88-297; 88-670, eff. 12-2-94; 89-206, eff. 7-21-95.)