An action may be severed, and actions pending in the same court may be consolidated, as an aid to convenience, whenever it can be done without prejudice to a substantial right.
2-1006.Consolidation and severance of cases.
Article II. Civil Practice · Part 10. Pre-trial Steps · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2-1006 lets an Illinois court consolidate separate actions pending before it, or split one action into separate pieces, whenever doing so serves convenience without harming a substantial right of any party.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/2-1006
Plain-English Summary
Section 2-1006 gives courts two related case-management tools in a single sentence. Consolidation lets a court combine actions pending in the same court so that related claims move forward together, saving the time and expense of litigating overlapping issues separately. Severance runs the other way, letting the court split an action into separate pieces when one unwieldy case would be better handled as more than one.
Both tools serve the same underlying purpose — convenience — rather than resolving anything about who wins or loses. And both are bounded by the same limit: a court can consolidate or sever only when it can do so without prejudice to a substantial right of any party, which keeps efficiency from coming at the cost of fairness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to consolidate cases under Section 2-1006?
It means combining separate actions pending in the same court so they proceed together, typically because they share overlapping facts, parties, or legal issues, as an aid to convenience and efficiency.
What does it mean to sever an action under Section 2-1006?
It means splitting one action into separate pieces, which can help when a case has grown too unwieldy to manage as a single proceeding.
What standard must a court apply before consolidating or severing cases?
The court must be able to consolidate or sever the cases without prejudice to a substantial right of any party. If doing so would harm such a right, Section 2-1006 does not authorize it.
Do consolidated cases become one lawsuit for all purposes?
Section 2-1006 authorizes consolidation as an aid to convenience; it does not itself spell out every procedural consequence of consolidation, which a court addresses through its own orders in the consolidated cases.
Who can ask a court to consolidate or sever cases under Section 2-1006?
The statute does not limit the request to one side; a court can consolidate or sever cases pending before it as an aid to convenience, consistent with the substantial-rights limitation, on motion or on its own initiative.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 82-280.)
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Compiled Statutes, published by the
Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois General Assembly / Legislative Reference Bureau. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: illinois consolidation of casesseverance of claims illinois civil casecombining lawsuits illinois