Walton v. Illinois Bell Telephone Co.

In this appeal, we consider whether a party to a proceeding before the Industrial Commission (Commission) under the Workers’ Compensation Act (Act) (820 ILCS 305/1 et seq. (West 2002)) may maintain an independent equitable action for the sole purpose of obtaining discovery germane to the worker’s compensation proceeding. We conclude that, based upon the facts in this case, the answer is no.

In April 2003, plaintiff, Shawn Walton, filed an equitable bill of discovery in the circuit court of Du Page County against defendants, Illinois Bell Telephone Company, a/k/a Ameritech Illinois and SBC…