MBA Enterprises, Inc. v. Northern Illinois Gas Co.

Plaintiffs MBA Enterprises (MBA), d/b/a the Ramada Inn, and Northern Insurance Company filed suit against Northern Illinois Gas Company (NI Gas) to recover property damages in excess of $2 million caused by a gas explosion and fire at the Ramada Inn in Bradley, Illinois. The trial court granted NI Gas’s motion for summary judgment based on the construction statute of repose of the Code of Civil Procedure (Code) (735 ILCS 5/13—214(b) (West 1996)) because MBA failed to commence the suit within 10 years of construction of the gas piping system. We find that, while the plaintiffs’ claims…