Johnson v. Saenz

Plaintiff, Carol J. Johnson, brought an action against defendant, Bertha Saenz, for personal injuries she sustained in an automobile accident with defendant. Following mandatory arbitration, the circuit court of Winnebago County entered judgment on the arbitration award in favor of plaintiff and against defendant. On appeal, defendant contends that the circuit court abused its discretion in barring her from rejecting the arbitration award as a sanction for failing to appear in person at the arbitration hearing. For the reasons set forth below, we reverse and remand.

FACTS

On May 29, 1998,…