New legislation this year favorable to injury victims:
-Public Act 98-548 requires Defendants to timely perform settlement agreements. 735 ILCS § 5/2-2301. Nothing makes my clients more upset than finally agreeing to a settlement after contentious litigation, only to learn that the Defendants are dragging their feet to delay payment. This bill sets deadlines and creates financial consequences if those deadlines are not met.
-Public Act 98-519 raises minimum automobile liability insurance limits from $20,000 per person/$40,000 per occurrence to $25,000 per person/$50,000 per occurrence, effective January 1, 2015. Despite decades of dramatically rising medical costs, these limits had not been increased in 24 years since the Illinois General Assembly first required motorists to carry liability insurance in 1989. These modifications are a small step towards helping injury victims recover from the financial shock of life’s catastrophes and will have a negligible impact on consumer premiums.
Spencer Law Blog 