Chicago Health Clubs, Inc. v. Picur

508 N.E.2d 742, 155 Ill. App. 3d 482, 108 Ill. Dec. 431, 1987 Ill. App. LEXIS 2451
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMay 7, 1987
DocketNo. 86—0894
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 508 N.E.2d 742 (Chicago Health Clubs, Inc. v. Picur) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chicago Health Clubs, Inc. v. Picur, 508 N.E.2d 742, 155 Ill. App. 3d 482, 108 Ill. Dec. 431, 1987 Ill. App. LEXIS 2451 (Ill. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinions

JUSTICE JOHNSON

delivered the opinion of the court:

Plaintiffs, various racquetball, tennis, health, and exercise clubs, and one dues-paying member of such a club, brought an action in the circuit court of Cook County against defendants, Ronald Picur, comptroller of the city of Chicago; Cecil A. Partee, city treasurer; Charles Sawyer, city director of revenue; and the city itself. Plaintiffs alleged that the Chicago Amusement Tax Ordinance (Chicago Municipal Code sec. 104 — 1 et seq. (1984)), as amended to include health and racquetball clubs within the definition of taxable amusements, was unconstitutional for various reasons.

Plaintiffs sought (1) a declaration that the amusement tax amendment was unconstitutional, and (2) an injunction preventing defendants from enforcing the ordinance. Defendants moved to dismiss the complaint. The trial court denied defendants’ motion to dismiss and issued an order declaring the tax amendment unconstitutional and enjoining defendants from enforcing the ordinance. Defendants appeal from this order pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 307(a)(1) (87 Ill. 2d R. 307(a)(1)). Defendants contend that the trial court erred in (1) denying their motion to dismiss the complaint and (2) declaring the amusement tax amendment unconstitutional and issuing the injunction.

We reverse.

The Chicago Amusement Tax Ordinance (Chicago Municipal Code sec. 104 — 1 et seq. (1984)) provides for a tax upon patrons of amusements located within the city. The city taxes the privilege of witnessing, viewing, or participating in such amusements. The tax rate is 4% of the admission fee or other charge that the patron pays to participate in the amusement. Chicago Municipal Code sec. 104 — 2A (1984).

The ordinance is limited to amusements in the city. When the admission fee entitles the patron to participate in amusements both within and outside of the city, the city taxes only that portion of the admission fee attributable to the right to use city facilities. Additionally, when a patron’s total fee includes the right to participate in activities that are not amusements, the nonamusement charges must be separately stated on the patron’s bill and be excluded from the tax base. Chicago Municipal Code sec. 104 — 2A (1984); Chicago Department of Revenue Ruling No. 86 — 1.

Under the ordinance, owners, managers, and operators of amusements are trustees for and on behalf of the city. They are responsible for collecting the tax, keeping accurate records of the monies collected, and remitting collected revenues to the city. The ordinance subjects amusement providers to penalties and interest for failing to perform these duties. However, an amusement provider’s failure to collect the tax from a patron does not release the patron from his obligation to pay the tax. Chicago Municipal Code sec. 104 — 3 (1984).

On December 23, 1985, the Chicago city council amended sections 104 — 1 and 104 — 2 of the Amusement Tax Ordinance. According to the ordinance, as amended, an amusement includes, inter alia, “any entertainment or recreational activity offered for the public participation or on a membership or other basis.” (Chicago Municipal Code sec. 104 — 1(2) (1984).) The ordinance clarifies this category of amusements by listing several examples, including amusement park rides and games, dancing, bowling, and billiards. The December 23, 1985, amendment added “racquetball or health clubs ***, tennis, racquetball, swimming, weightlifting, body building or similar activities” to the ordinance’s list of amusements. Chicago Municipal Code sec. 104— 1(2) (1984).

The record shows that plaintiffs filed their complaint on January 9, 1986. Plaintiffs alleged that the amusement tax amendment was an impermissible occupation tax generally, or a tax specifically on the occupation of providing health club or similar services, that the classifications contained in the tax amendment were unreasonable, that the tax amendment applied extraterritorially, that the amendment was overly broad, that it was vague, and that it violated the constitutional prohibition against special legislation. Plaintiffs sought a declaration that the amusement tax amendment was unconstitutional and an injunction preventing defendants from enforcing the ordinance.

The record further shows that on January 29, 1986, defendants moved to dismiss the complaint for failing to state a cause of action. The trial court granted plaintiffs leave to file an amended complaint. Defendants allowed their motion to dismiss plaintiffs’ complaint to stand as their motion to dismiss the amended complaint.

On March 31, 1986, the trial court issued an order denying defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint. In the same order, the trial court declared the tax amendment unconstitutional and granted plaintiffs an injunction preventing defendants from enforcing the ordinance. The trial court found the statute unconstitutional because (1) the tax was an impermissible occupation tax and (2) because the term “recreational activities’’ was unconstitutionally vague. It is from this order that defendants appeal.

I

Defendants first claim that the trial court erred in denying their motion to dismiss the amended complaint. They contend that our review of the injunction properly includes a review of the sufficiency of the complaint. Plaintiffs, however, claim that we cannot review that part of the trial court’s order denying defendants’ motion to dismiss because it was not final and appealable. Thus, plaintiffs argue, the only issue before us is whether the trial court erred in issuing the injunction. They ask us to dismiss that portion of this appeal challenging the denial of defendants’ motion to dismiss.

Plaintiffs are correct that we have jurisdiction over only final orders of the trial court and that the denial of a motion to strike and dismiss is an interlocutory order that does not finally dispose of the proceeding so as to give us jurisdiction on appeal. (Jursich v. Arlington Heights Federal Savings & Loan Association (1980), 83 Ill. App. 3d 352, 403 N.E.2d 1260.) Plaintiffs are also correct that the order to dismiss in the instant case does not fall within the two exceptions to this rule contained in Supreme Court Rules 307 and 308 (87 Ill. 2d Rules 307, 308). Thus, under these circumstances alone, we would dismiss the appeal from the trial court’s denial of the motion to dismiss the complaint. Jursich v. Arlington Heights Federal Savings & Loan Association (1980), 83 Ill. App. 3d 352, 403 N.E.2d 1260.

However, in the absence of an answer, it is appropriate for a reviewing court to consider whether a complaint for injunctive relief was sufficient. (Whitaker v. Pierce (1976), 44 Ill. App. 3d 148, 150, 358 N.E.2d 61, 63.) Although a court will take all well-pleaded facts as true, the complaint must clearly show that the relief sought is warranted. “Allegations supporting the claim must be positive, certain, and precise. Mere opinion, conclusion, or belief will not suffice.” (McErlean v. Harvey Area Community Organization (1972), 9 Ill. App.

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Bluebook (online)
508 N.E.2d 742, 155 Ill. App. 3d 482, 108 Ill. Dec. 431, 1987 Ill. App. LEXIS 2451, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chicago-health-clubs-inc-v-picur-illappct-1987.