(a) Except in personal injury actions, every count in every complaint and counterclaim must request specific remedies the party believes it should receive from the court. In a personal injury action, a party may not claim an amount of money unless necessary to comply with the circuit court rules about where a case is assigned. In a personal injury action, if a complaint is filed that contains an amount claimed and the claim is not necessary to comply with the circuit court rules about where a case is assigned, the complaint shall be dismissed without prejudice on the defendant's motion or on the court's own motion.
2-604.2.Requesting remedies from the court.
Article II. Civil Practice · Part 6. Pleading · Last amended 2020 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceIllinois complaints (outside personal-injury cases) must ask the court for specific remedies rather than a dollar figure, and personal-injury complaints may state a damages amount only when a circuit court assignment rule requires it.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/2-604.2
(b) A party may request remedies from the court in the alternative. A request for a remedy from the court that is not supported by allegations in the complaint or counterclaim may be objected to by motion or in the answering pleading.
(c) Except in the case of default, the remedies requested from the court do not limit the remedies available. Except in the case of default, if a party seeks remedies other than those listed in the complaint or counterclaim, the court may, by proper order, and upon terms that may be just, protect the adverse party against prejudice by reason of surprise.
In the case of default, if a remedy is sought in the pleading, whether by amendment, counterclaim, or otherwise, that is beyond what the defaulted party requested, notice shall be given to the defaulted party as provided by Illinois Supreme Court Rule 105.
(d) The defendant is not prohibited from requesting from the plaintiff, by interrogatory, the amount of damages sought.
Plain-English Summary
Section 2-604.2 replaced Illinois's old ad damnum practice with a remedy-based pleading requirement. Every count in a complaint or counterclaim must request the specific remedies the pleader believes the court should award. Personal-injury cases are the exception: a party generally cannot state a dollar amount at all, unless doing so is necessary to satisfy a circuit court rule on case assignment -- and if a personal-injury complaint states an amount it doesn't need for that purpose, the complaint must be dismissed without prejudice on the defendant's motion or the court's own motion.
Subsection (b) lets a party plead remedies in the alternative, and lets the opposing side challenge a requested remedy that the pleaded facts don't support, either by motion or in the answer. Subsection (c) then loosens the tie between what a party asked for and what a party can recover: outside of a default, the remedies available are not limited to the ones listed in the pleading, though a court can protect the other side from unfair surprise if a party seeks something different than what it pleaded.
Default judgments get their own guardrail. If a party seeks a remedy beyond what the defaulted party's pleading disclosed, the defaulted party is entitled to notice under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 105 before that expanded remedy can be granted. Subsection (d) closes the loop by letting a defendant use an interrogatory to find out, in a personal-injury case, what amount of damages the plaintiff is seeking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an Illinois complaint state a specific dollar amount of damages?
Outside personal-injury actions, the focus is on requesting specific remedies rather than a dollar figure. In personal-injury actions, a party generally may not state an amount claimed unless it's necessary to comply with a circuit court rule on case assignment.
What happens if a personal-injury complaint states an unnecessary dollar amount?
The complaint shall be dismissed without prejudice, on the defendant's motion or the court's own motion, if the stated amount was not needed to comply with the assignment rule.
Is a party limited to the remedies listed in the complaint?
Not outside of default. Section 2-604.2(c) says the remedies requested do not limit the remedies available, though the court can guard against unfair surprise if a party pursues something not requested in the pleading.
What protection exists for a defaulted party facing an expanded remedy?
Notice under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 105 must be given to the defaulted party before a remedy beyond what was originally requested can be awarded against them.
Can a defendant find out how much money a plaintiff is seeking?
Yes, in a personal-injury action. Subsection (d) lets the defendant request that information from the plaintiff through an interrogatory.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 101-403, eff. 1-1-20.)
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: ad damnum illinoisrequesting remedies illinois complaintpersonal injury damages amount illinois pleading