Betkevicius v. Hart

Plaintiffs, Christopher Betkevicius and Roger Sticken, d/b/a Plaza Limousines, Inc., brought an action under the Contribution Among Joint Tortfeasors Act (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1983, ch. 70, par. 301 et seq.) following the settlement and dismissal of an earlier tort action. The complaint was dismissed for plaintiffs’ failure to file the contribution action in the form of a counterclaim or third-party complaint in the earlier lawsuit. The issue presented on appeal is whether a party who fails to file a counterclaim or third-party complaint for contribution against a joint tortfeasor during a pending…