§ 5-45 — Denial, suspension, or revocation of registration

(a) The Secretary of State may issue an order denying effectiveness to, or suspending or revoking the effectiveness of, a registration if the Secretary of State finds that the order is in the public interest and that any of the following exist: (1) The registration as of its effective date or as of any earlier date in the case of an order denying effectiveness, or any amendment as of its effective date, or any report is incomplete in any material respect or contains any statement which was, in the light of the circumstances under which it was made, false or misleading with respect to any material fact. (2) Any provision of this Law or any rule, regulation, order, or condition lawfully imposed under this Law has been willfully violated, in connection with the business opportunity: (A) by the person filing the registration; or (B) by the seller, any partner, officer, or director of the seller, any person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, or any person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by the seller, but only if the person filing the registration is directly or indirectly controlled by or acting for the seller. (3) The business opportunity registered or sought to be registered is the subject of an administrative order denying, suspending or revoking a registration or a permanent or temporary injunction or final order of any court of competent jurisdiction; but the Secretary of State: (A) may not institute a proceeding against an effective registration under this paragraph more than one year from the date of the order or injunction relied on; and (B) may not enter an order under this paragraph on the basis of an order or injunction entered under any other State Act unless that order or injunction was based on facts which would currently constitute a ground for an order under this Section. (4) The seller's enterprise or method of business, or that of the business opportunity, includes or would include activities which are illegal where performed. (5) The business opportunity or the offering of a business opportunity has worked or tended to work a fraud upon purchasers or would so operate. (6) There has been a failure to file any documents or information required by Section 5-30 of this Law. (7) The seller has failed to pay the proper filing fee but the Secretary of State may enter only a denial order under this paragraph and the Secretary of State shall vacate any such order when the deficiency has been corrected. (8) The seller's literature or advertising is misleading, incorrect, incomplete or deceptive. (b) The Secretary of State may not institute a proceeding under this Section against an effective registration on the basis of a fact or transaction known to the Secretary of State when the registration became effective unless the proceeding is instituted within the next 30 days. (c) The Secretary of State may by summary order postpone or suspend the effectiveness of the registration pending final determination of any proceeding under this Section. Upon the entry of the order, the Secretary of State shall promptly notify the seller that the order has been entered and of the reasons therefor and that within 15 days after the receipt of a written request the matter will be set down for hearing. The written request must be made within 30 days of the entry of the order. If no hearing is requested and none is ordered by the Secretary of State, the order will remain in effect until it is modified or vacated by the Secretary of State. If a hearing is requested or ordered, the Secretary of State, after notice of an opportunity for hearing to the seller, may modify or vacate the order or extend it until final determination. (d) No summary order may be entered under any part of this Section, except the first sentence of subsection (c) of this Section, without appropriate prior notice to the seller, opportunity for hearing, and written findings of fact and conclusions of law. (e) The Secretary of State may vacate or modify an order issued under this Section if the Secretary of State finds that the conditions which prompted its entry have changed or that it is otherwise in the public interest to do so. (f) Notwithstanding anything in this Act to the contrary, the Secretary of State, after notice and opportunity for hearing, may, at the Secretary of State's discretion, enter into an agreed settlement, stipulation, or consent order with a respondent in accordance with the provisions of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act. The provisions of the agreed settlement, stipulation, or consent order shall have the full force and effect of an order issued by the Secretary of State. (g) The action of the Secretary of State in issuing any order under this Section shall be subject to judicial review under the Administrative Review Law.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 90-70, eff. 7-8-97; 91-357, eff. 7-29-99; 91-809, eff. 1-1-01.)