McCarthy v. Taylor

Summary

The court held that Illinois Supreme Court Rule 137 permits an award of attorney fees as a sanction against a plaintiff whose frivolous claim forces an opposing attorney to defend himself pro se. It distinguished fee-shifting decisions because Rule 137 sanctions punish abuse of the judicial process rather than reward a prevailing plaintiff. The court reinstated the fee award in principle, remanded for determination of the proper amount, and remanded the request for sanctions for the appeal to the appellate court.