Illinois Eviction Courts Likely to Remain Closed

Opening Day Postponed?

UPDATE:  See here.  We have been monitoring the eviction court situation closely.  In his press conference on May 26, 2020, Governor Pritzker indicated that he was likely to extend the eviction moratorium (in a sense, overruling the legislature that just decided not to extend an eviction moratorium), likely for another month.  Currently, the Governor’s executive order 30 and the local orders of many County Circuit Courts, including Cook County, put eviction courts on hold until May 31, 2020.  It is now looking like an eviction court opening date of June 1, 2020 is unlikely.  We heard elsewhere today that the Daly Center is likely to remain closed to most in-person matters until July 6, 2020.

What does that mean for landlords?  It means that the wait continues.  It means no cases will be filed on June 1.  It means that tenant who are not paying rent or who have refused to move at the end of their lease term will still be allowed to remain in their rental unit without the force of law to get them to vacate.  As always, we are urging our landlord clients to try to work out reasonable compromises with their tenants.  Unfortunately, this situation, like much of the tenant-favorable jurisprudence in Chicago and Illinois, rewards the worst, most unreasonable tenants.