Williamsburg Village Owners' Ass'n v. Lauder Associates

558 N.E.2d 208, 200 Ill. App. 3d 474, 146 Ill. Dec. 245, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 886
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJune 20, 1990
Docket1-89-1733
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 558 N.E.2d 208 (Williamsburg Village Owners' Ass'n v. Lauder Associates) 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
Williamsburg Village Owners' Ass'n v. Lauder Associates, 558 N.E.2d 208, 200 Ill. App. 3d 474, 146 Ill. Dec. 245, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 886 (Ill. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

JUSTICE FREEMAN

delivered the opinion of the court:

On December 2, 1989, plaintiff, Williamsburg Village Owners’ Association, Inc., brought a forcible entry and detainer action against defendants, Lauder Associates, seeking possession of certain commercial condominium property and recovery of $8,385.72 of unpaid assessments for common element expenses from January 1, 1986, through October 31, 1987.

Following a trial in the circuit court of Cook County, the court entered an ex parte default judgment against defendants. The court awarded damages of $7,869, attorney fees of $585, and possession of the office condominium to plaintiff. Pursuant to the trial court’s order of possession, plaintiff collected $55,909.02 under an assignment of rents.

Defendants appealed from that judgment, and this court reversed and remanded the case for further proceedings. (Williamsburg Village Owners’ Association, Inc. v. Lauder Associates (1989), 181 Ill. App. 3d 931, 537 N.E.2d 857.) On remand, defendants filed a motion to vacate judgment, declare an assignment of rents void ab initio and return of collected funds. The trial court granted defendants’ motion and, on June 14, 1989, ordered plaintiff to return the funds it had collected by June 21.

On June 21, the date which had been set for trial, plaintiff advised the court that it would be filing a substitution of attorneys. Also, on that date, defendants made an oral motion to hold plaintiff in contempt of court for failing to comply with the turnover order of June 14. The court stated:

“He’s making a request to substitute attorneys, you are making a request for sanctions and its all oral. I’m going to hold my order and continue this case for hearing on all of the motions. And that they be reduced to writing for July 3rd 1989 at 10:30 a.m. That’s it.”

At the July 3 hearing defendants presented their motion to hold plaintiff in contempt. Counsel for plaintiff first contended that he had not seen a copy of the motion, next argued that the June 14 turnover order had been continued from the June 21 hearing to July 3, then stated that he did not know why there had been no compliance. Plaintiff requested an opportunity to obtain a copy of the June 21 transcript of the proceedings in order to show the court that the order had been continued; however, the request was denied. The court stated that it had not continued the turnover order, entered an order finding plaintiff in contempt, and assessed a $500 fine for every day of continued noncompliance.

On July 6, the parties again appeared in court. Upon being advised that plaintiff had not turned over the funds, the court increased the contempt fine to $1,000 per day. The fine was increased, a third time, to $1,500 on July 13, 1989.

On July 20, defendants filed a garnishment on plaintiff’s bank account. On or about August 10, answers to interrogatories were filed and defendants levied on plaintiff’s bank account. Plaintiff urges four points on appeal: (1) the trial court abused its discretion in holding it in contempt; (2) the trial court lacked jurisdiction to increase the contempt fine; (3) the trial court’s turnover order was an abuse of discretion; and (4) the garnishment should have been quashed. We affirm.

Plaintiff first contends that the trial court abused its discretion in holding it in contempt because it was not given prior notice of defendants’ contempt motion and the opportunity to be heard. At oral argument, plaintiff complained that the notice had not been timely given because it had not been received within two court days prior to the hearing as required by Circuit Court Rule 2.1(d) (Cook County Circuit Court Rule 2.1(d)). Plaintiff asserts that when it raised the issue of lack of notice, the trial judge had an obligation to inquire into whether adequate notice had been given.

Defendants claim that the notice of motion and proof of service was filed on July 3, 1989. Additionally, defendants assert that plaintiff’s counsel was personally served with a copy of the motion on June 30,1989.

Included in defendants’ brief, as exhibit 1, is a photocopy of a notice of motion and proof of service by delivery. In the section provided for proof of service, the typewritten date of service is Monday, July 3, 1989. That date is crossed out, and Friday, June 30, 1989, is handwritten above it. The defense attorney’s initials appear beside the handwritten date, and his signature appears in the appropriate space provided on the form. The proof is stamped, filed July 3, 1989. In addition, included in the record is an original of a letter, dated June 30, 1989, sent by messenger, and addressed to Judge Bryant. The letter states that a copy of the motion is enclosed and indicates that a carbon copy was sent to plaintiff’s counsel.

The evidence in the record supports defendants’ claim that notice of the motion, albeit untimely, was given. Nevertheless, even if notice was not proper, we believe that plaintiff has waived the issue.

Even though an order of court may be void ab initio for lack of due process, such as notice, a defect in notice can be waived. (Walter v. City of West Chicago (1976), 39 Ill. App. 3d 297, 300, 349 N.E.2d 437.) Preservation of a question for review requires an appropriate objection in the court below (Hargrove v. Gerill Corp. (1984), 124 Ill. App. 3d 924, 929, 464 N.E.2d 1226), and failure to object constitutes a waiver. Smith v. Airoom, Inc. (1986), 114 Ill. 2d 209, 229, 499 N.E.2d 1381; People ex rel. Wilcox v. Equity Funding Life Insurance Co. (1975), 61 Ill. 2d 303, 313, 335 N.E.2d 448.

We have reviewed the July 3 proceedings wherein defendants’ motion for contempt was presented. The following colloquy occurred:

“MR. JACOBS [defense counsel]: Your Honor, we have two motions. One motion to hold — hold the Plaintiff in contempt of court. Here is the original.
MR. LAVIERI [plaintiff’s counsel]: I've never seen a copy of this motion.
THE COURT: You did get a copy of the order?
MR. LAVIERI: Yes, I did and-.
THE COURT: Will you give me a reason why you have not turned it over?
MR. LAVIERI: You continued everything until — .
THE COURT: No, I didn’t continue the order that was on June 21st.
MR. LAVIERI: Yes, you did.
* * *
THE COURT: I didn’t continue that one. Why have you not turned the money over? That is the question.
MR. LAVIERI: I understand that. I will have to check with my clients why they haven’t turned the money over.

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Bluebook (online)
558 N.E.2d 208, 200 Ill. App. 3d 474, 146 Ill. Dec. 245, 1990 Ill. App. LEXIS 886, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williamsburg-village-owners-assn-v-lauder-associates-illappct-1990.