In recent months, the judges in the Forcible Entry and Detainer Department of the First District of the Circuit Court of Cook County have begun suggesting, more and more, that parties before them use the “new” form “Agreed Settlement Order”. The form, which has been around since early 2013, provides a quicker and easier way to begin a settlement order with a tenant in a Cook County eviction case.
Is the form perfect? No. Does it provide guidance on what the judges want in their eviction settlement orders? For sure.
I don’t think my office has ever entered a settlement order like this without at least considering whether or not it is appropriate to make a few changes, however, it is nice to see that the courts are helping to move Illinois eviction cases along.