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    V & T INVESTMENT CORPORATION, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. WEST COLUMBIA PLACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, Defendant-Appellee.
    No. 1-17-0436
    Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, SIXTH DIVISION.
    Rule 23 Filed March 30, 2018 Motion to Publish Granted May 11, 2018 Opinion Filed May 18, 2018
    John Cloutier, of Cloutier Law Group, of Chicago, for appellant.
    John G. Powers and Andrew A. Girard, of Girard Law Group, P.C., of Chicago, for appellee.
   JUSTICE CONNORS delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.

¶ 1 Plaintiff V & T Investment Corporation (V & T), a real estate investment company, was the foreclosure sale purchaser of the subject condominium unit located at 1637 West Columbia Avenue in Chicago. Defendant, West Columbia Condominium Association (West Columbia), is the agency in charge of maintaining and administering the common elements of the condominium building, as well as enforcing the covenants and restrictions of the association and collecting and disbursing its assessments. Several months following the foreclosure sale of the subject unit, V & T requested from West Columbia a paid assessment letter. West Columbia issued a paid assessment letter, stating that $7803.97 was due and owing on the account. V & T paid the total amount under protest. V & T then filed a complaint in assumpsit . Both parties filed motions for summary judgment. The trial court denied both motions, but found that section 9(g)(4) of the Condominium Property Act (Act) ( 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(4) (West 2012) ) would apply to the matter at hand. The case then proceeded to trial, where the trial court found in favor of West Columbia. V & T

now appeals. For the following reasons, we reverse and remand.

¶ 2 BACKGROUND

¶ 3 Both parties state in their respective appellate briefs that the facts of this case are not contested. Indicative of this is the bystander's report, which contains an agreed-upon statement of what took place at trial and the trial exhibits deemed necessary for this appeal. However, before we discuss the testimony and evidence presented at trial, a review of the facts leading up to the trial is necessary.

¶ 4 On November 12, 2009, West Columbia filed an action against Richard Dresmann, one of its unit owners, based on his failure to pay his share of the common expenses. Thereafter, the unit became subject to a foreclosure action. On October 16, 2013, V & T purchased the subject condominium unit at a judicial foreclosure sale. The sale was confirmed by court order on December 16, 2013, and the deed was issued to V & T on December 31, 2013. On February 6, 2014, V & T tendered its first assessment payments to the association for the months of January and February 2014. In June, V & T was preparing to sell the property, so it requested a paid assessment letter. On June 19, 2014, West Columbia's property manager issued a paid assessment letter to V & T, advising it that a balance of $7803.97 was due and owing. V & T paid the amount under protest so that it could sell the unit unencumbered, but subsequently filed the present action against West Columbia on July 22, 2014, seeking a judgment in the amount of $7803.97.

¶ 5 In its complaint in assumpsit , V & T argued that it became responsible for assessments beginning in January 2014 and that it paid all the assessments that became due thereafter. V & T further argued that it was not responsible for any assessments left unpaid by the former owner because West Columbia obtained a judgment from the former owner in the November 2009 action.

¶ 6 West Columbia filed affirmative defenses in its answer to V & T's complaint. In its first affirmative defense, based on section 9(g) of the Act, West Columbia stated that it had filed an action on November 12, 2009, based on the failure of the former owner to pay his share of the common expenses. West Columbia stated that on November 15, 2012, the circuit court of Cook County "confirmed the existence of an arrearage regarding the unit owner's proportionate share of common expenses." West Columbia contended that, thereafter, there were no payments made to the account until February 2014. West Columbia argued that after filing an action to collect unpaid assessments, accruing assessments and reasonable attorney fees, and "being awarded judgment by the court," West Columbia was entitled to seek assessments from the first day of the month after the sale as well as six months' worth of assessments preceding the institution of an action "and attorney's fees." West Columbia also filed two counterclaims, which were later dismissed.

¶ 7 V & T filed an amended complaint on December 16, 2015, adding a count for breach of fiduciary duty. V & T argued that West Columbia breached its fiduciary duty toward plaintiff by forcing it to pay money it did not legally owe and which West Columbia knew or should have known V & T did not owe.

¶ 8 Thereafter, West Columbia filed a motion for summary judgment. West Columbia argued that V & T owed common assessments beginning on November 1, 2013, not January 1, 2014, and that by not making a payment until February 6, 2014, V & T failed and refused to comply with section 9(g)(3) of the Act. West Columbia stated that the arrearage amount left unpaid by the former owner was "never cured" and that the court had confirmed the continued existence of an arrearage amount. Citing section 9(g)(4) of the Act, West Columbia further argued that because that money was never paid, V & T had to pay the amount in assessments that would have been due during the six months preceding the institution of the prior action to collect assessments. And finally, West Columbia argued that V & T, as a foreclosure sale purchaser, had the duty to pay legal fees required by subsections (1) and (5) of section 9(g) of the Act. West Columbia claimed that V & T offered "no factual allegations, by way of affidavits, account ledgers, or proof of payments, to suggest that the amounts West Columbia had demanded were inaccurate."

¶ 9 V & T then filed a response to West Columbia's motion for summary judgment, stating that West Columbia had obtained a judgment of $3011.12 in the action West Columbia had initiated against the former unit owner, "with an ad damnum of $2,219.94." V & T stated that the judgment date was February 1, 2010, and that there were also costs allowed in that case. V & T stated, "See Exhibit A, 'Condominium Statement' and Exhibit B 'West Covina Condo Assoc. v. Dresmann Docket.' " Attached to the answer was Exhibit A, a statement of accounting for the subject property for the time period from January 31, 2009, to July 1, 2014. There was no indication of the amounts stated by V & T in that document. Exhibit B was a printout of an electronic docket search of the previous case, which also did not state the judgment amount or that one was obtained. It merely stated that the amount of damages sought was $2219.94. There was also an attached affidavit by John Cloutier, the attorney for V & T in the foreclosure sale, which stated: "As indicated in the court records the association only filed one action against the former owner and obtained a judgment of $3,011.82."

¶ 10 West Columbia filed a reply to V & T's response to its motion for summary judgment, stating that the only circumstance where a foreclosure purchaser "would not be required to comply with 9(g)(4) is if the 'outstanding assessments' were paid * * *. That does not apply here, because in the case at hand, the outstanding balance at the time of the sale was $9,630.34." West Columbia explained the accounting of the $7803.97 that appeared in the demand letter by stating that a "significant portion" of that amount was incurred after the foreclosure sale ($2580.45), and that there was $2791 in "legal fees associated in the underlying action." West Columbia further stated that, upon review, "it does appear that [V & T] was overcharged in the amount of $849.96" because the actual amount of six months of back assessments totaled $1582.56, instead of $2357.52. West Columbia included those three amounts in an attached exhibit.

¶ 11 On February 19, 2016, V & T filed a reply, arguing that the exhibit containing the three numbers that allegedly made up the amount claimed in the demand letter should be stricken because "there is no indication as to where the numbers came from."

¶ 12 A hearing was held on the motions on April 12, 2016, where the trial court ruled that questions of fact existed and denied both motions, but found that section 9(g)(4) of the Act would apply to the matter at hand.

¶ 13 The matter proceeded to trial, which was held on July 20, 2016. The parties stipulated to a bystander's report, which contained the following information. Counsel for V & T argued in its opening statement that the deed for the subject unit was issued to V & T on December 31, 2013, and that therefore V & T became liable for assessments beginning in January 2014, under the rulings in Household Bank, FSB v. Lewis , 229 Ill. 2d 173, 322 Ill.Dec. 15, 890 N.E.2d 934 (2008), and Pembrook Condominium Ass'n-One v. North Shore Trust & Savings , 2013 IL App (2d) 130288, 377 Ill.Dec. 691, 2 N.E.3d 607. Counsel argued that evidence would show that V & T paid its assessments owed each month for January 2014 through June 2014. Counsel argued that the evidence would show that West Columbia was not entitled to any assessments for the period before V & T purchased the property.

¶ 14 West Columbia's counsel argued that V & T purchased the subject unit at a judicial sale in October 2013 and did not tender any assessment payments for several months. As such, there was a lien on the property that had not been extinguished.

¶ 15 Tam Huynh, secretary of V & T, testified that V & T purchased the property at a court-ordered foreclosure sale that was confirmed by the court on December 16, 2013, with the deed issued on December 31, 2013. Huynh testified that V & T became responsible for paying assessments the following month, January 2014, and that he sent V & T's first payment in late January or early February 2014.

¶ 16 Huynh testified that he paid a $25 late fee for the January payment, and that he then paid the February, March, April, May, and June assessments on time. He testified that when V & T went to sell the property in June 2014, the association issued a paid assessment letter demanding payment of $7803.97, which V & T paid under protest because most of the charges were incurred by the prior owner. V & T then rested.

¶ 17 West Columbia's first witness was Mathieu Brown, the property manager for Westward Property Management, who testified that on October 1, 2013, there was a balance owed by the former owner of $9630.74. Brown testified that the association had rented out the unit during the time it had possession from 2009 until the judicial sale in question. Brown testified that the records showed that the association had received rent payments of $900 a month from October 2010 to July 2011, and $1000 a month from November 2011 to September 2012. Brown further testified that the balance on the account in November 2012 was $904.60. He testified that the records showed no assessment payments received between November 2012 and February 2014, but that assessments had continued to accrue during that time. Brown further testified that he did not know if West Columbia had ever filed an action to collect against the former owner, but that the records showed attorney charges in 2009, so he "believed so."

¶ 18 During closing arguments, V & T argued that, according to Pembrook , a purchaser of a condominium unit at a foreclosure sale does not incur liability for condominium assessments due under section 9(g)(3) of the Act until the month after the court accepts the bid, confirms the sale, and the deed is issued. V & T noted that the 2006 amendments to the Act added section 9(g)(4), which allows an association to collect up to six months of unpaid assessments left by the former owner for the six months preceding the institution of an action to collect filed against the former owner. V & T argued, however, that if the assessments were paid, they were no longer collectable from the foreclosure purchaser. V & T stated that the association filed an action to collect in November 2009, and obtained a judgment of $3012.11. The association then rented out the unit for the next two years and collected $22,000 in rent. V & T argued that any money received in rent is first to be applied against the assessments sued for.

¶ 19 West Columbia's counsel stated that the Act applied, the section 9(g)(1) lien was never extinguished due to V & T's late initial payment, and the notice of sale had stated that V & T was obligated to pay the section 9(g)(1) and section 9(g)(4) liens. West Columbia's counsel argued that assessment payments under section 9(g)(3) begin the month after the sale, which occurred in October 2013.

¶ 20 The report of proceedings states that the "court ruled in favor of Defendant but would not state her reasoning or provide a written opinion." The order of judgment in the record merely states that judgment was entered in favor of West Columbia. V & T filed a motion to reconsider, which was denied. V & T now appeals.

¶ 21 ANALYSIS

¶ 22 The issue on appeal is whether V & T should be reimbursed for any amount it paid to West Columbia under protest. "Condominiums are creatures of statute and, thus, any action taken on behalf of the condominium must be authorized by statute." Board of Directors of 175 East Delaware Place Homeowners Ass'n v. Hinojosa , 287 Ill. App. 3d 886, 889, 223 Ill.Dec. 222, 679 N.E.2d 407 (1997). "When a controversy regarding the rights of a condominium unit owner in a condominium arises, we must examine any relevant provisions in the Act and the Declaration or bylaws and construe them as a whole." Carney v. Donley , 261 Ill. App. 3d 1002, 1008, 199 Ill.Dec. 219, 633 N.E.2d 1015 (1994). Questions of statutory construction are reviewed de novo . Skaperdas v. Country Casualty Insurance Co. , 2015 IL 117021, ¶ 15, 390 Ill.Dec. 94, 28 N.E.3d 747. The fundamental objective of statutory construction is to ascertain and give effect to the intent of the legislature. Bettis v. Marsaglia , 2014 IL 117050, ¶ 13, 387 Ill.Dec. 659, 23 N.E.3d 351. The most reliable indicator of legislative intent is the statutory language, given its plain and ordinary meaning. State Building Venture v. O'Donnell , 239 Ill. 2d 151, 160, 346 Ill.Dec. 518, 940 N.E.2d 1122 (2010). A reasonable construction must be given to each word, clause, and sentence of a statute, and no term should be rendered superfluous. Slepicka v. Illinois Department of Public Health , 2014 IL 116927, ¶ 14, 386 Ill.Dec. 605, 21 N.E.3d 368.

¶ 23 Section 9(g)(1) of the Act states in relevant part that:

"(1) If any unit owner shall fail or refuse to make any payment of the common expenses or the amount of any unpaid fine when due, the amount thereof together with any interest, late charges, reasonable attorney fees incurred enforcing the covenants of the condominium instruments * * * shall constitute a lien on the interest of the unit owner in the property prior to all other liens and encumbrances, recorded or unrecorded * * *." 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) (West 2014).

The plain language of section 9(g)(1) creates a lien in favor of a condominium association upon the failure or refusal of a unit owner to pay common expense assessments. 1010 Lake Shore Ass'n v. Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. , 2015 IL 118372, ¶ 23, 398 Ill.Dec. 95, 43 N.E.3d 1005.

¶ 24 Section 9(g)(3) states:

"(3) The purchaser of a condominium unit at a judicial foreclosure sale, or a mortgagee who receives title to a unit by deed in lieu of foreclosure of judgment by common law strict foreclosure or otherwise takes possession pursuant to court order under the Illinois Mortgage Foreclosure Law [ ( 735 ILCS 5/15-1501 et seq. (West 2014) ) ], shall have the duty to pay the unit's proportionate share of the common expenses for the unit assessed from and after the first day of the month after the date of the judicial foreclosure sale, delivery of the deed in lieu of foreclosure, entry of a judgment in common law strict foreclosure, or taking possession pursuant to such court order. Such payment confirms the extinguishment of any lien created pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (g) by virtue of the failure or refusal of a prior unit owner to make payment of common expenses, where the judicial foreclosure sale has been confirmed by order of the court, a deed in lieu thereof has been accepted by the lender, or a consent judgment has been entered by the court." 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(3) (West 2014).

¶ 25 As our supreme court has noted, the first sentence of section 9(g)(3) "plainly requires a foreclosure sale purchaser to pay common expense assessments beginning in the month following the foreclosure sale." 1010 Lake Shore , 2015 IL 118372, ¶ 24, 398 Ill.Dec. 95, 43 N.E.3d 1005. The second sentence "provides an incentive for prompt payment of those postforeclosure sale assessments, stating '[s]uch payment confirms the extinguishment of any lien created' under subsection 9(g)(1) by the unit owner's failure to pay assessments." Id. (quoting 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(3) (West 2014) ). "Accordingly, under the plain language of section 9(g)(3), the payment of [the] postforeclosure sale assessments formally approves and makes certain the cancellation of the condominium association's lien." Id.

¶ 26 In the case at bar, the question is whether V & T's first payment of the common expenses, on February 6, 2014, extinguished the condominium association's section 9(g)(1) lien on the property. V & T contends that the term "foreclosure sale" in the statute encompasses not just the sale, but also the confirmation by the court, which occurred on December 16, 2013, and the delivery of the deed, which occurred on December 31, 2013. Accordingly, V & T contends that assessments were not due until January 1, 2014, and thus its February 6, 2014, payment was timely. West Columbia contends that because the foreclosure sale occurred on October 13, 2013, the first payment was due on November 1, 2013, making V & T's February 6, 2014, payment late.

¶ 27 To answer the question of whether V & T's February 2014 payment extinguished the existing lien on the property, we must first decipher what "judicial foreclosure sale" means in the context of this statute. In section 9(g)(3) of the Act, the legislature stated that the payment of the unit's proportionate share of the common expenses assessed from and after the first day of the month after the date of the judicial sale, confirms the extinguishment of any lien created pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (g), "where the judicial foreclosure sale has been confirmed by order of the court." 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(3) (West 2014). This last statement makes clear to us that the statute distinguishes between the judicial foreclosure sale, and the confirmation of that sale by the court. If we were to read "judicial foreclosure sale" as encompassing the confirmation of the sale, then the portion of the statute that states, "where the judicial foreclosure sale has been confirmed by order of the court," (id. ) would be rendered superfluous. See Slepicka , 2014 IL 116927, ¶ 14, 386 Ill.Dec. 605, 21 N.E.3d 368 (a reasonable construction must be given to each word, clause, and sentence of a statute, and no term should be rendered superfluous). We therefore find that, based on the plain language of the statute, which states that the new owner shall have the duty to pay the unit's proportionate share of the common expenses for the unit assessed from and after the first day of the month after the date of the judicial foreclosure sale, which occurred on October 16, 2013, V & T had the duty to pay the unit's assessments from and after November 1, 2013.

¶ 28 V & T's reliance on Pembrook does not convince us otherwise. In Pembrook , an entity purchased the subject property at a foreclosure sale on April 13, 2012. 2013 IL App (2d) 130288, ¶ 3, 377 Ill.Dec. 691, 2 N.E.3d 607. The trial court confirmed the sale and granted the entity possession. Id. On April 17, 2012, a deed was recorded, conveying the property to the entity. Id. Accordingly, the sale and the exchange of the deed happened in the same the month. The entity sent payments to the association in May, June, and July 2012. Id. The court cited case law stating that a foreclosure purchaser is not liable for assessments that accrue before obtaining title to the property. See Newport Condominium Ass'n v. Talman Home Federal Savings & Loan Ass'n of Chicago , 188 Ill. App. 3d 1054, 136 Ill.Dec. 612, 545 N.E.2d 136 (1988). However, both Pembrook and Talman dealt with assessments that had accrued between the expiration of a mortgagor's redemption period and the date on which the mortgagor received the sheriff's deed. The case at bar does not include a mortgagor redeeming its property during a statutory time period. Accordingly, we find this discussion in Pembrook to be inapposite to the facts of our case.

¶ 29 Moreover, the Pembrook court further noted that "under section 9(g)(3), the purchaser of a condominium unit at a judicial foreclosure sale must pay the charges that are 'assessed from and after the first day of the month after the date of the judicial foreclosure sale,' and, if the trial court has confirmed the sale, the payment 'confirms the extinguishment of any lien' created under section 9(g)(1) by the failure of the previous unit owner to pay the assessments that came due earlier." Pembrook , 2013 IL App (2d) 130288, ¶ 15, 377 Ill.Dec. 691, 2 N.E.3d 607 (citing 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(3) (West 2012) ). The court found that the entity's payment of postforeclosure assessments extinguished any lien that had been based on the previous owner's failure to pay assessments. Id. ¶ 17. This discussion of section 9(g)(3) is in line with our analysis above regarding the meaning of foreclosure sale in the Act.

¶ 30 Now that we have established that the first assessments came due the month after the foreclosure sale, which in this case occurred in October 2013, we must decide if V & T's February 6, 2014, payment extinguished the existing lien on the property. As noted above, the last part of the statute makes clear that such payment confirms the extinguishment of the condominium association's lien where the judicial foreclosure sale has been confirmed by the court. So the question then becomes what happens when the foreclosure sale occurs two months before the confirmation of sale. We find guidance on this question from the recent case of Country Club Estates Condominium Ass'n v. Bayview , 2017 IL App (1st) 162459, ¶ 24, 416 Ill.Dec. 663, 84 N.E.3d 1140, in which the argument was made that it would be unreasonable to expect foreclosure buyers to pay condominium assessments before ownership of the property had been confirmed by the court, considering the delay in some cases between the sale and the order confirming the sale. The Country Club Estates court stated that courts "can and should take such circumstances into account when determining whether a buyer's payment of assessments is 'prompt.' " Id. The court found, "if it takes months for a judicial sale to be confirmed by the court, but the buyer pays its assessments shortly after the confirmation order (dating back to the month following the sale), the buyer's payment could be deemed prompt under the circumstances." Id. Because a delay in the confirmation of the sale is exactly what occurred here, we find that V & T's payment was prompt under the circumstances, as it was made shortly after the confirmation of the sale. However, while V & T's payment was prompt under this particular set of circumstances, according to Country Club Estates , the payment should have included the assessments that had accrued starting from November 1, 2013, the month following the sale, instead of January 1, 2014, the month following the confirmation of the sale. The assessments for November and December will be included in our calculations at the end of this order.

¶ 31 Our finding that V & T's payment on February 6, 2014, was prompt confirms the extinguishment of the prior section 9(g)(1) lien on the subject property on February 6, 2014. We now turn to the next question, which is whether V & T was responsible for any additional payments under the Act. Section 9(g)(4) of the Act states:

"(4) The purchaser of a condominium unit at a judicial foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, who takes possession of a condominium unit pursuant to a court order * * * shall have the duty to pay the proportionate share, if any, of the common expenses for the unit which would have become due in the absence of any assessment acceleration during the 6 months immediately preceding institution of an action to enforce the collection of assessments, and which remain unpaid by the owner during whose possession the assessments accrued. If the outstanding assessments are paid at any time during any action to enforce the collection of assessments, the purchaser shall have no obligation to pay any assessments which accrued before he or she acquired title." 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(4) (West 2014).

¶ 32 Based on the plain language of this section of the Act, V & T, as the foreclosure sale purchaser, was required "to pay a prior owner's unpaid assessments that accrued during the six months preceding an action to collect assessments." 1010 Lake Shore , 2015 IL 118372, ¶ 32, 398 Ill.Dec. 95, 43 N.E.3d 1005. In this case, the action against the prior owner was initiated in November 2009. Accordingly, V & T owed West Columbia the unpaid assessments that had accrued in the six months preceding November 2009. Based on the record on appeal, it appears that the monthly assessments were $238.76 per month during this time period, which would bring the total owed by V & T to $1432.56. However, V & T claims that West Columbia obtained a judgment of $3011.12 against the former owner in its action against him.

¶ 33 The question of whether "the outstanding assessments [were] paid at any time during any action to enforce the collection of assessments," as required by section 9(g)(4) to erase the obligation to pay any assessments that had accrued before V & T acquired title, is a question of fact for the trial court to decide. The trial court is in the best position to resolve conflicts in the evidence and evaluate witnesses' credibility. Nelson v. County of De Kalb , 363 Ill. App. 3d 206, 210-11, 298 Ill.Dec. 682, 840 N.E.2d 795 (2005). A trial court's findings of fact will not be disturbed on review unless those findings are against the manifest weight of the evidence. Eychaner v. Gross , 202 Ill. 2d 228, 251, 269 Ill.Dec. 80, 779 N.E.2d 1115 (2002). As mentioned previously, however, the trial court made no written findings of fact. Based on our review of the record, we are compelled to find that the trial court's apparent finding that the outstanding assessments were not paid was against the manifest weight of the evidence.

¶ 34 During trial, the property manager for West Columbia testified that he did not know if West Columbia had ever filed an action to collect against the former owner, but that the records showed attorney charges in 2009 so he "believed so." V & T's witness, Huynh, testified that he was informed by West Columbia that it had filed an action in November 2009, but that West Columbia "had obtained possession, rented out the unit for 2 years," and that "[h]e could see from the unit's ledger that the collection of rent paid off the amount that had been sued for and therefore the assessments that it sued on had been paid and were not collectable from a foreclosure purchaser." West Columbia's counsel stipulated that West Columbia had "gained legal possession of the unit from some time in 2010 until late January 2014." West Columbia's property manager stated that West Columbia had rented out the unit during the time it had possession and admitted that the records showed rent payments of $900 per month from November 2010 to July 2011 and rent payments of $1000 being received each month from November 2011 through September 2012. West Columbia's property manager further testified that the balance on the account was $904.60 on November 12, 2012.

¶ 35 Section 9-111.1 of the Code of Civil Procedure (Code), provides in part:

"Upon the entry of a judgment in favor of a board of managers for possession of property under the [Act] * * *, the board of managers shall have the right and authority, * * * but not the obligation, to lease the unit to a bona fide tenant (whether the tenant is in occupancy or not) pursuant to a written lease for a term not to exceed 13 months from the date of expiration of the stay of judgment unless extended by order of court upon notice to the dispossessed unit owner. The board of managers shall first apply all rental income to assessments and other charges sued upon in the action for possession plus statutory interest on a monetary judgment, if any, attorneys' fees, and court costs incurred; and then to other expenses lawfully agreed upon (including late charges), any fines and reasonable expenses necessary to make the unit rentable, and lastly to assessments accrued thereafter until assessments are current. Any surplus shall be remitted to the unit owner." 735 ILCS 5/9-111.1 (West 2012).

¶ 36 If a condominium association elects to rent a unit to a third party after obtaining judgment of possession, section 9-111.1 requires "that such rents are applied against the defendant's delinquent assessments and the money judgment." Board of Managers of the Inverrary Condominium Ass'n v. Karaganis , 2017 IL App (2d) 160271, ¶ 29, 414 Ill.Dec. 315, 80 N.E.3d 48. Accordingly, looking at the account documents, we find that the rent paid to West Columbia while it had legal possession, totaling upwards of $20,000, far exceeded the amount claimed in damages, $2219.94, by West Columbia in its suit against the previous owner. V & T therefore did not have an obligation to pay any assessments that had accrued before it acquired title. See 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(4) (West 2014) ("If the outstanding assessments are paid at any time during any action to enforce the collection of assessments, the purchaser shall have no obligation to pay any assessments which accrued before he or she acquired title.").

¶ 37 V & T also contends that it did not owe West Columbia any attorney fees. West Columbia stated in its pleadings that a portion of the amount charged to V & T in its demand letter ($2791.00) was comprised of attorney fees accrued in the underlying action. West Columbia argued that they had a right to recoup those fees under section 9(g)(5) of the Act. We disagree. Section 9(g)(5) states:

"(5) The notice of sale of a condominium unit under subsection (c) of Section 15-1507 of the Code of Civil Procedure shall state that the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by subdivisions (g)(1) and (g)(4) of Section 9 of this Act. The statement of assessment account issued by the association to a unit owner under subsection (i) of Section 18 of this Act, and the disclosure statement issued to a prospective purchaser under Section 22.1 of this Act, shall state the amount of the assessments and the legal fees, if any, required by subdivisions (g)(1) and (g)(4) of Section 9 of this Act." 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5) (West 2014).

¶ 38 As noted above, section 9(g)(1) specifically states:

"If any unit owner shall fail or refuse to make any payment of the common expenses * * * the amount thereof together with any interest, late charges, reasonable attorney fees incurred enforcing the covenants of the condominium instruments , rules and regulations of the board of managers, or any applicable statute or ordinance, and costs of collections shall constitute a lien on the interest of the unit owner in the property * * *." (Emphases added.) Id. § 9(g)(1).

Also as noted above, the section 9(g)(1) lien in this case was extinguished when V & T made its first assessment payment on February 6, 2014. Accordingly, any attorney fees associated with the enforcement of the covenants with the previous owner should not have been included in West Columbia's demand letter. Section 9(g)(4) on the other hand, makes no mention of attorney fees. Accordingly, we find no reason as to why attorney fees were included in the demand letter to V & T and find that V & T should be reimbursed for any amount paid in attorney fees.

¶ 39 As a final matter, we address V & T's breach of fiduciary duty allegation. To state a claim for breach of fiduciary duty, a plaintiff must allege the existence of a fiduciary duty, the breach of that duty, and damages proximately caused therefrom. Duffy v. Orlan Brook Condominium Owners' Ass'n , 2012 IL App (1st) 113577, ¶ 17, 367 Ill.Dec. 341, 981 N.E.2d 1069. Section 18.4 of the Act states: "In the performance of their duties, the officers and members of the board, whether appointed by the developer or elected by the unit owners, shall exercise the care required of a fiduciary of the unit owners." 765 ILCS 605/18.4 (West 2014). The condominium association is similarly required to exercise a fiduciary duty toward the individual unit owners. Duffy , 2012 IL App (1st) 113577, ¶ 18, 367 Ill.Dec. 341, 981 N.E.2d 1069. In its amended complaint, V & T argued that West Columbia breached its fiduciary duty "when it extorted money from [V & T] that [V & T] did not owe and [West Columbia] did not have a right to collect."

¶ 40 During trial, the only argument we see in the bystander's report relating to a breach of fiduciary duty is a statement during opening arguments: "[V & T]'s counsel stated that the evidence would show that the Defendants did not have a valid reason to force V & T to pay the money it did not owe and had breached their fiduciary duty to it," and a similar statement during closing arguments. When V & T's counsel asked Huynh why West Columbia would have demanded $7803.97, Huynh apparently attempted to testify that West Columbia was in a superior position and wrongfully and powerfully made demands for money. West Columbia's counsel objected on the basis that Huynh was being asked to speculate, and the trial court sustained the objection.

¶ 41 In its motion to reconsider, V & T argued that West Columbia had filed an action against the former unit owner and then obtained possession, collecting $22,250 in rent. V & T argued that once the assessments for the six months preceding the institution of the action were paid, it did not have an obligation to pay any assessments that had accrued before it acquired title and, thus, West Columbia breached its fiduciary duty to V & T by charging them for those six months of assessments. However, as stated above, we find that the trial court's finding that the outstanding assessments had not been paid during the 2009 action to collect was not against the manifest weight of the evidence. Accordingly, to the extent that V & T alleged a breach of fiduciary duty based on the charge in the demand letter for the six months of assessments, we find there was no breach.

¶ 42 To the extent that V & T is arguing that West Columbia breached its fiduciary duty by otherwise overcharging it in the demand letter, we find that V & T did not present sufficient facts to support such a finding. As stated above, to properly prove a breach of fiduciary duty, a plaintiff is required to prove the existence of a fiduciary duty, the breach of that duty, and damages proximately caused therefrom. Duffy , 2012 IL App (1st) 113577, ¶ 17, 367 Ill.Dec. 341, 981 N.E.2d 1069. Its only allegation of the existence of a duty is from section 18.4 of the Act, which states that in the exercise of their duties, the officers and members of a board shall exercise the care required of a fiduciary of the unit owners. 765 ILCS 605/18.4 (West 2014). V & T does not allege which specific duty was breached in overcharging V & T or what facts gave rise to the breach, except to say that the evidence would show that West Columbia overcharged V & T for no valid reason. Cf. Palm v. 2800 Lake Shore Drive Condominium Ass'n , 2014 IL App (1st) 111290, ¶ 97, 381 Ill.Dec. 222, 10 N.E.3d 307 (the plaintiffs properly alleged a breach when they argued that "the defendants breached their fiduciary duty by 'failing to strictly comply with the clear requirements of' the declaration and/or the [Act] by failing to itemize reserves in the budget, failing to credit unit owners with surpluses, commingling operating and reserve expenses, allowing funds in bank accounts in excess of the FDIC-insured limit, failing to provide written notices of board meeting as required by the declaration and failing to present possible conflicts of interest to the unit owners for approval"). V & T's statements are conclusory in nature and unsupported by evidence in either the bystander's report or the pleadings. Accordingly, we cannot find that West Columbia breached a fiduciary duty to V & T.

¶ 43 Accordingly, the total amount owed by V & T at the time of the demand letter should have been $510.94. V & T paid $7803.97 under protest. For the foregoing reasons, we reverse the judgment of the circuit court of Cook County and remand for the trial court to enter judgment in favor of V & T for a portion of the payment it made under protest, in the amount of $7293.03.

¶ 44 Reversed and remanded.

Justices Cunningham and Delort concurred in the judgment and opinion.


text:
    PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Eduardo GOMEZ, Defendant-Appellant.
    No. 1-15-0605
    Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, SECOND DIVISION.
    Filed April 3, 2018 Rehearing denied May 3, 2018
    Michael J. Pelletier, Patricia Mysza, and Michael Gomez, of State Appellate Defender's Office, of Chicago, for appellant.
    Kimberly M. Foxx, State's Attorney, of Chicago (Alan J. Spellberg, Joseph Alexander, and Brenda K. Gibbs, Assistant State's Attorneys, of counsel), for the People.
   JUSTICE PUCINSKI delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.

¶ 1 Following a bench trial, defendant Eduardo Gomez was convicted of being an armed habitual criminal (AHC) ( 720 ILCS 5/24-1.7 (a) (West 2014) ), of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon (AUUW) ( 720 ILCS 5/24-1.6 (West 2014) ), and of unlawful use of a weapon by a felon ( 720 ILCS 5/24-1.1 (West 2014) ). He was sentenced to three concurrent terms of seven years' imprisonment and assessed various fines, fees, and costs. On appeal, defendant argues that (1) the circuit court erred in denying his pretrial motion to suppress, (2) his aggravated unlawful use of a weapon conviction should be vacated, and (3) the fines, fees, and costs imposed by the circuit court should be reduced. For the reasons set forth herein, we affirm defendant's convictions for the offenses of armed habitual criminal and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon; however, we vacate his aggravated unlawful use of a weapon conviction. In addition, we remand the matter to the circuit court with instructions to modify its order assessing fines, fees, and costs.

¶ 2 BACKGROUND

¶ 3 On July 3, 2014, following an encounter with several Chicago police officers, defendant was found to be in possession of a loaded firearm and was charged with multiple offenses, including armed habitual criminal, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. After being taken into police custody, defendant admitted to possessing the firearm.

¶ 4 Prior to trial, defendant filed a motion to quash his arrest and suppress evidence, arguing that he was unlawfully detained and searched absent probable cause or a warrant in violation of his constitutional rights. As such, he contended that suppression of the firearm and his incriminatory statement was warranted.

¶ 5 The circuit court subsequently presided over a hearing on defendant's motion. At the hearing, defendant's friend, Frankie Baez, testified that at approximately 10:45 p.m. on July 3, 2014, he, defendant, and their mutual friend, Enriquez Salvador (Junior), were sitting in a parked vehicle located near the intersection of 52nd Street and Kildare Avenue. Baez explained that they were waiting for his girlfriend to join them. The vehicle in which they were sitting was owned by Junior's father, who operated a taxi company. Baez described the vehicle as a white "taxi car." Junior was seated in the driver's seat of the vehicle, defendant was seated in the backseat directly behind Junior, and Baez was seated in the backseat next to defendant. While the three men were seated in the parked vehicle, an unmarked "cop car," containing three plain-clothes officers, pulled up alongside of them. The officers "flashed their lights" on the men, drew their weapons, and ordered Baez, Junior, and defendant to raise their hands and exit the vehicle. The three men complied. Baez testified that after he and defendant exited the vehicle, they placed their hands on opposite sides of the trunk. The officers then began searching them. As they were doing so, the officers heard a noise. Baez explained: "As they were searching us I guess they had like heard the noise of the firearm I guess fell on the floor and that's when they had right away put the flashlight all over [and] under the car and stuff." The officer who was closest to defendant then bent down and recovered a firearm from underneath the car. Baez testified that the officers did not present a search warrant or an arrest warrant for defendant at any time during the encounter.

¶ 6 On cross-examination, Baez acknowledged that defendant was a good friend whom he had known for several years. When asked additional details about the night in question, Baez admitted that the three men had been driving around the neighborhood in Junior's father's car for at least 40 minutes before stopping the vehicle on 52nd Street. He estimated that they were sitting in the parked vehicle for 10 to 15 minutes before the police officers arrived on the scene. Baez also acknowledged that when the officers pulled up alongside of Junior's father's car, the officers did not immediately exit their unmarked car and order the men to raise their hands in the air; rather, the officers remained seated in their vehicle and spoke to Junior while the windows of the two vehicles were rolled down and inquired what the three men were doing in the neighborhood that night. During the course of this conversation, Baez admitted that defendant started "scooting down in his seat," which was located right behind Junior's seat. Baez further admitted that defendant was hiding a gun in his waistband. In addition, he acknowledged that the officers exited their unmarked vehicle only after they observed defendant scooting down in his seat. The officers then ordered each of the men to show their hands. Although defendant complied with the officers' request and raised his hands, Baez admitted that defendant continued scooting down in the backseat until they were all ordered to exit the car. As Baez and his friends exited the vehicle, he heard one of the officers reference a noise, saying "What was that? What was that? What was that?" The officers then used their flashlights to illuminate the ground and recovered defendant's gun next to where defendant was standing. Baez, however, denied that he heard the sound of a gun dropping.

¶ 7 Following Baez's testimony, the defense rested, and defense counsel moved for a directed finding, which the circuit court denied. The State then called Chicago police detective Anthony Amato to testify. Detective Amato testified that on July 3, 2014, he was working with Sergeant Karczewski and Officer Daniel Pacelli. The three officers were wearing plain clothes and were riding in an unmarked police vehicle. Detective Amato, the driver of the unmarked police car, confirmed that at approximately 10:45 p.m. that evening, he and his partners encountered defendant, who was a passenger in a white Mercury Grand Marquis parked near the area of 4242 West 52nd Street. He explained that he had observed the vehicle on two prior occasions during a 30 to 40 minute period of time as he and his partners patrolled the area. During the previous two occasions that he observed the Grand Marquis, the vehicle was moving. On this occasion, however, the vehicle was parked facing westbound on 52nd Street. After observing the same vehicle for the third occasion in a short period of time, Detective Amato pulled up next to the vehicle and began speaking to the driver of the Grand Marquis through his open car window. He explained that he asked the driver "what he was doing, [and] if he lived around there." The driver initially responded that he lived down the street; however, when Detective Amato asked him to identify his "exact address," the driver admitted that he did not live down the street, but resided somewhere on the "other side of Pulaski."

¶ 8 As he spoke to the driver of the Grand Marquis, Detective Amato was able to observe defendant, who was seated directly behind the driver in the rear of the vehicle. When the conversation began, defendant was "seated upright" with his torso visible to the officers. As the conversation proceeded, however, defendant began "slouching down in the car. * * * He just kept on like steadily slouching down as [the officers] were talking to the driver. So his head was, you could only see like his head at one point in time." Detective Amato categorized defendant's behavior as "suspicious." Based on defendant's suspicious behavior and the driver's responses to his inquiries, Detective Amato and his partners exited their unmarked vehicle and approached the parked Grand Marquis. Detective Amato and Sergeant Karczewski walked to the driver's side of the vehicle while Officer Pacelli relocated to the passenger side of the vehicle. As Detective Amato stood by the driver's side of the Grand Marquis, he observed defendant leaning away from him and "toward the middle portion of the seat" with his right forearm covering the waistband of his pants. Defendant's right hand "was actually under his shirt." Detective Amato again found defendant's behavior to be "suspicious," and as a result, he asked to see defendant's hands. Initially, defendant only raised his left hand into the air and continued positioning his right arm and hand "along his waistband." He then "started showing his right hand," while still attempting to use his right forearm to shield the waistband of his pants. Based on his observations of defendant's behavior, Detective Amato "believed that [defendant] had a weapon on him" and ordered all three occupants of the Grand Marquis to exit the vehicle. Defendant and the two other men complied. As defendant was exiting the vehicle, he "still had his arm over his waistband." After he completely extricated himself from the car, however, he then immediately "turned around and he bent his entire body over the rear of the car." In response, Sergeant Karczewski "grabbed [defendant] by his arms and stood him upright." When he did so, a handgun dislodged from defendant's waistband and fell to the ground. Detective Amato immediately recovered the gun, which was loaded, and defendant was then placed into custody.

¶ 9 On cross-examination, Detective Amato categorized the area in which the Grand Marquis was parked as "residential." He could not recall whether there were any vehicles parked immediately in front of or in back of the Grand Marquis when he pulled up next to the vehicle. Detective Amato testified, however, that "we weren't blocking [the driver] in at that point in time. We were just having a conversation with him." During the conversation, he inquired whether the driver lived in the area. When the driver responded that he lived down the street, Detective Amato then requested the driver to identify his exact address. It was at that point that the driver admitted he did not live on the street and Detective Amato observed defendant begin slouching in his seat. Although he intended to ask for the occupants' identifications when he exited his unmarked car, Detective Amato did not recall whether he did so because his focus shifted to defendant slouching and leaning in his seat. At that point in time, he ordered all of the occupants out of the Grand Marquis "for safety reasons." Detective Amato conceded that he did not actually see a gun on defendant's person before he ordered defendant and the two other occupants of the Grant Marquis to raise their hands and exit the vehicle. He further conceded that defendant and the two other occupants of the Grand Marquis were not acting aggressively toward the officers before they were ordered out of the vehicle. Although he believed that defendant was in possession of a firearm, Detective Amato denied that he and his partners ever drew their weapons when defendant, Baez, and Junior exited the vehicle.

¶ 10 Following Detective Amato's testimony, the parties delivered closing arguments. After hearing the aforementioned testimony and the arguments of the parties, the court denied defendant's motion to suppress. In delivering its ruling, the court found that the encounter between police and the occupants of the Grand Marquis began as a "lawful" field interview, but that defendant's conduct "raise[d] things into question." The court explained: "He's not in the manner in which the other two occupants are. The way his hands were positioned, his arms positioned, everybody is out of the vehicle he's bending over. He won't stand up. Finally he stood up. It wasn't a search. As [the officers] assisted him in standing up * * * the weapon falls. There's no violation of [the] 4th amendment. * * * There was probable cause. It was a proper stop. There was not any type of unlawful detention. Motion to suppress is denied."

¶ 11 Following the suppression hearing, defendant waived his right to a jury trial, and elected to proceed by way of a bench trial. At trial, the parties stipulated to the testimony that Detective Amato provided during the earlier hearing on defendant's motion to suppress. The State then called upon him to provide further testimony about the handgun that fell from the waistband of defendant's pants. Specifically, Detective Amato testified that when he recovered the handgun, he discovered that it was loaded and contained two live rounds. He further testified that after he recovered defendant's weapon, defendant "spontaneously" explained that he had just discovered the gun in a garbage can and asked the officers to "give [him] a break." At that point, defendant was advised of his Miranda rights and subsequently transported to the 8th District police station for questioning. After defendant arrived at the police station, Detective Amato and Sergeant Karczewski conversed with him. During that conversation, defendant admitted that he "was holding the gun for S.D.'s from 59th Street." Detective Amato understood defendant's reference to "S.D.'s" to mean the street gang known as Satan's Disciples.

¶ 12 Following Detective Amato's testimony, the State presented a series of stipulations reached by the parties. Specifically, the parties stipulated that defendant had previously been convicted of robbery and armed robbery. The parties further stipulated that defendant was on parole at the time he was found to be in possession of a firearm on July 3, 2014, and that he had not been issued a Firearm Owner's Identification (FOID) card. After presenting the aforementioned stipulations, the State rested its case-in-chief. Defendant moved for a directed verdict, but the motion was denied. Defendant elected not to testify and defense counsel rested without calling any witnesses.

¶ 13 After considering the evidence, the circuit court found defendant guilty of armed habitual criminal, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. During the sentencing hearing that followed, the circuit court heard evidence submitted in aggravation and mitigation and ultimately sentenced defendant to three concurrent terms of seven years' imprisonment. The court also assessed a number of fines, fees, and costs. Defendant's posttrial motion was denied and this appeal followed.

¶ 14 ANALYSIS

¶ 15 I. Motion to Suppress

¶ 16 Defendant first argues that the circuit court erred in denying his motion to quash his arrest and suppress evidence. He argues that he was the victim of an unlawful seizure because police officers lacked reasonable suspicion that he was engaged in criminal activity at any time during their encounter. Defendant emphasizes that mere possession of a firearm is not a crime and contends that the officers had no reason to believe he was in unlawful possession of a firearm when they pulled up alongside of the vehicle in which he was seated and ordered him to raise his hands into the air and exit the vehicle.

¶ 17 The State responds that the circuit court "properly denied defendant's motion to quash arrest and suppress evidence because the consensual encounter was elevated to a Terry stop [ Terry v. Ohio , 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 (1968) ] based on reasonable suspicion that defendant was engaged in criminal activity."

¶ 18 As a general rule, a circuit court's ruling on a motion to suppress is subject to a bifurcated two-prong standard of review. See Ornelas v. United States , 517 U.S. 690, 699, 116 S.Ct. 1657, 134 L.Ed.2d 911 (1996) ; People v. Johnson , 237 Ill. 2d 81, 88, 340 Ill.Dec. 168, 927 N.E.2d 1179 (2010). Pursuant to this standard, a reviewing court will afford great deference to the circuit court's factual findings and will disregard those findings only where they are against the manifest weight of the evidence. Johnson , 237 Ill. 2d at 88, 340 Ill.Dec. 168, 927 N.E.2d 1179 ; People v. Lopez , 2013 IL App (1st) 111819, ¶ 17, 374 Ill.Dec. 765, 996 N.E.2d 212. The circuit court's ultimate legal finding as to whether suppression is warranted, however, is subject to de novo review. People v. Colyar , 2013 IL 111835, ¶ 24, 374 Ill.Dec. 880, 996 N.E.2d 575 ; People v. Bartelt , 241 Ill. 2d 217, 226, 349 Ill.Dec. 949, 948 N.E.2d 52 (2011). Accordingly, "[a] court of review 'remains free to engage in its own assessment of the facts in relation to the issues presented and may draw its own conclusions when deciding what relief should be granted.' " People v. Gherna , 203 Ill. 2d 165, 175-76, 271 Ill.Dec. 245, 784 N.E.2d 799 (2003) (quoting People v. Crane , 195 Ill. 2d 42, 51, 252 Ill.Dec. 687, 743 N.E.2d 555 (2001) ). When conducting this analysis, a reviewing court may consider the evidence presented at trial in addition to the evidence presented during the prior suppression hearing. People v. Almond , 2015 IL 113817, ¶ 55, 392 Ill.Dec. 227, 32 N.E.3d 535.

¶ 19 The right to be free from unlawful searches and seizures is protected by both the federal and state constitutions. U.S. Const., amend. IV ; Ill. Const. 1970 art. I, § 6 ; Bartelt , 241 Ill. 2d. at 225-26, 349 Ill.Dec. 949, 948 N.E.2d 52. "The 'essential purpose' of the fourth amendment is to impose a standard of reasonableness upon the exercise of discretion by law enforcement officers to safeguard the privacy and security of individuals against arbitrary invasions." People v. McDonough , 239 Ill. 2d 260, 266-67, 346 Ill.Dec. 496, 940 N.E.2d 1100 (2010) (quoting Delaware v. Prouse , 440 U.S. 648, 653-54, 99 S.Ct. 1391, 59 L.Ed.2d 660 (1979) ). This constitutional guarantee "applies to all seizures of the person, including seizures that involve only a brief detention short of traditional arrest." People v. Thomas , 198 Ill. 2d 103, 108, 259 Ill.Dec. 838, 759 N.E.2d 899 (2001). Not every interaction between police officers and private citizens, however, results in a seizure within the meaning of the fourth amendment. Almond , 2015 IL 113817, ¶ 56, 392 Ill.Dec. 227, 32 N.E.3d 535 ; McDonough , 239 Ill. 2d at 268, 346 Ill.Dec. 496, 940 N.E.2d 1100. Courts evaluating the nature and propriety of police-citizen encounters have grouped those interactions into three tiers: (1) an arrest or detention of an individual supported by probable cause; (2) brief investigative stops, commonly referred to as " Terry stops," supported by a reasonable, articulable suspicion of criminal activity; and (3) consensual encounters involving neither coercion nor detention and do not implicate the fourth amendment. People v. Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d 530, 544, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187 (2006) ; People v. Smith , 2016 IL App (3d) 140648, ¶ 28, 403 Ill.Dec. 707, 54 N.E.3d 848.

¶ 20 For purposes of fourth amendment analysis, a person is considered seized when a law enforcement officer, " ' "by means of physical force or show of authority, has in some way restrained the liberty of a citizen." ' " Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d at 550, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187 (quoting Florida v. Bostick , 501 U.S. 429, 434, 111 S.Ct. 2382, 115 L.Ed.2d 389 (1991), quoting Terry , 392 U.S. 1, 19 n.16, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889 ). More specifically, the relevant inquiry to determine whether an individual seated in a parked vehicle has been seized is whether a reasonable person in the defendant's position would have believed that he was free to decline the officer's requests or otherwise terminate the encounter. Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d at 550-51, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187 ; Smith , 2016 IL App (3d) 140648, ¶ 29, 403 Ill.Dec. 707, 54 N.E.3d 848 ; People v. Bozarth , 2015 IL App (5th) 130147, ¶ 15, 389 Ill.Dec. 94, 25 N.E.3d 739. Our supreme court has emphasized that this "test presupposes a reasonable innocent person." (Emphasis in original.) Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d at 551, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187 (citing Bostick , 501 U.S. at 438, 111 S.Ct. 2382 ).

¶ 21 Relevant factors to consider when determining whether an individual was seized and not involved in a consensual encounter include: (1) the threatening presence of multiple officers; (2) the display of a weapon by an officer; (3) some physical touching of the individual's person; and (4) the use of language or tone of voice indicating that compliance might be compelled. United States v. Mendenhall , 446 U.S. 544, 554, 100 S.Ct. 1870, 64 L.Ed.2d 497 (1980) (opinion of Stewart, J., joined by Rehnquist, J.); Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d at 553, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187. "In the absence of some such evidence, otherwise inoffensive contact between a member of the public and the police cannot, as a matter of law, amount to a seizure of that person." People v. Fields , 2014 IL App (1st) 130209, ¶ 22, 388 Ill.Dec. 418, 24 N.E.3d 326. In addition to the four aforementioned Mendenhall factors, other factors that courts have "found indicative of a seizure of a parked vehicle are 'boxing the car in, approaching it on all sides by many officers, pointing a gun at the suspect and ordering him to place his hands on the steering wheel, or use of flashing lights as a show of authority.' " Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d at 557, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187 (quoting 4 Wayne R. LaFave, Search and Seizure § 9.4(a), at 434-35 (4th ed. 2004) ).

¶ 22 It is well-established, however, that a seizure does not occur simply because a law enforcement officer approaches and poses questions to an individual as long as that individual is willing to listen. Gherna , 203 Ill. 2d at 178, 271 Ill.Dec. 245, 784 N.E.2d 799 (citing United States v. Drayton , 536 U.S. 194, 200, 122 S.Ct. 2105, 153 L.Ed.2d 242 (2002) ); see also Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d at 551, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187. Indeed, even where an officer has no basis for suspecting an individual, he may nonetheless question that individual, request identification, and seek the individual's consent to search. Bostick , 501 U.S. at 434-35, 111 S.Ct. 2382 ; Gherna , 203 Ill. 2d at 179, 271 Ill.Dec. 245, 784 N.E.2d 799 ; Smith , 2016 IL App (3d) 140648, ¶ 29, 403 Ill.Dec. 707, 54 N.E.3d 848. Importantly, "a confrontation with a police officer is not a seizure on the basis that the officer's authority produces an inherent pressure to cooperate. Rather, * * * an encounter between a police officer and a civilian 'is a seizure only if the officer adds to those inherent pressures by engaging in conduct significantly beyond that accepted in social intercourse.' " People v. Castigilia , 394 Ill. App. 3d 355, 358, 333 Ill.Dec. 738, 915 N.E.2d 809 (2009) (quoting 4 Wayne R. LaFave, Search and Seizure § 9.4(a), at 425 (4th ed. 2004) ). Keeping the aforementioned factors and standards in mind, we address defendant's challenge to the circuit court's denial of his motion to suppress.

¶ 23 As a threshold matter, the parties dispute the timing of defendant's seizure. Defendant submits that he was subjected to an immediate seizure when Detective Amato first pulled up in his unmarked squad car alongside of Junior's vehicle, which was parallel parked on 52nd Street, and began asking Junior questions. The State, in turn, categorizes the initial encounter as consensual and posits that the encounter was only subsequently elevated to a lawful Terry stop when officers developed reasonable suspicion that criminal activity was afoot based on the totality of the circumstances, including "defendant's suspicious behavior."

¶ 24 Our analysis of the relevant factors does not support defendant's contention that he "was seized at the moment the officers pulled up next to the car." The record reveals that after Detective Amato observed Junior's vehicle in a residential neighborhood on three occasions in a 30-40 minute period of time, he pulled his unmarked squad car alongside of the parked vehicle. Although defendant contends that Detective Amato "blocked Junior's car into his parallel parking spot," the record does not contain any evidence as to how close Detective Amato's squad car was to Junior's car or whether there were other vehicles parked directly in front or in back of Junior's vehicle. Detective Amato, however, testified that Junior's car not blocked in, and the circuit court expressly found that there was "no indication that they c[ould not] leave" the scene based on the positioning of the vehicles. Although defendant is correct that a police encounter with a citizen in a parked car may be classified as a seizure where a police officer positions his car in a manner that "blocks" the parked car (see Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d at 559, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187 ), the record in this case simply establishes that the vehicles were positioned parallel to each other, not that the Grand Marquis was definitively blocked. Given the lack of evidence that the car in which defendant was sitting was boxed in, we cannot agree that defendant was seized from the moment that the officers arrived at the scene. We also reject defendant's argument that the conversation that ensued between Detective Amato and Junior after the officers pulled alongside of the parked vehicle was indicative of a seizure. The record establishes that after Detective Amato stopped his vehicle alongside Junior's car, he conversed briefly with Junior while the windows of both vehicles were lowered. Although Detective Amato was accompanied by two other officers at the time, none of the officers brandished weapons or physically touched defendant or any of the other occupants of the vehicles while he spoke to Junior. Moreover, there is no evidence that the tone and tenor of Detective Amato's voice when he posed several questions to Junior was forceful or coercive. Although defendant characterizes Detective Amato's questioning as "relentless" and "persistent," the record does not support that characterization. Rather, it appears that Detective Amato simply posed two general inquiries to Junior, asking him "what he was doing, [and] if he lived around there." After hearing Junior's responses, Detective Amato testified that he then posed one follow-up question, and requested Junior to identify his "exact address." We reiterate that a seizure does not occur simply because a law enforcement officer approaches and poses questions to an individual as long as that individual is willing to listen and the officers do not convey by their words or actions that compliance with their requests is required. Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d at 551, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187 ; Gherna , 203 Ill. 2d at 178-79, 271 Ill.Dec. 245, 784 N.E.2d 799. Accordingly, we find that defendant was not subject to an immediate seizure when Detective Amato stopped his squad car alongside of the parked Grand Marquis and asked Junior several questions, which he was willing to answer. Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d at 552, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187 ("[T]he mere approaching and questioning of a person seated in a parked vehicle does not constitute a seizure * * *."); Gherna , 203 Ill. 2d at 179, 271 Ill.Dec. 245, 784 N.E.2d 799 ("[A]n individual is not seized for fourth amendment purposes when police ask questions of that individual, including a request for identification, so long as the officers do not convey by their words or actions to the person being questioned that compliance with their requests is required."). This does not end our inquiry, however, given that "a consensual encounter will lose its consensual nature if law enforcement officers convey a message, by means of physical force or show of authority, that induces the individual to cooperate." Gherna , 203 Ill. 2d at 179, 271 Ill.Dec. 245, 784 N.E.2d 799.

¶ 25 Indeed, defendant argues that even if the encounter did not constitute a seizure at the outset, it evolved into a seizure when Detective Amato and his partners exited their unmarked squad car and approached Junior's vehicle while illuminating their flashlights. The State concedes that defendant was ultimately seized, but argues that the officers' conduct was lawful because the totality of the circumstances provided them with reasonable suspicion that criminal activity was afoot, and thus their actions were lawful pursuant to the United States Supreme Court's landmark decision in Terry , 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889.

¶ 26 At the hearing on defendant's motion to suppress, Detective Amato testified that the decision to exit the unmarked police car and approach the parked Grand Marquis was made after Junior acknowledged providing inaccurate information in response to his questions concerning Junior's address, and after observing defendant's body language while this conversation occurred. He explained that during the course of his short conversation with Junior, defendant, who was sitting directly behind Junior, began to slouch further and further down in his seat until only his head was visible. After making these observations, Detective Amato and his partners exited their vehicle and approached the parked Grand Marquis with the intention of requesting the occupants' identification cards. Specifically, Detective Amato and Sergeant Karczewski walked over to the driver's side of the vehicle while Officer Pacelli relocated to the passenger side of the vehicle. Although the officers approached with flashlights, the use of a flashlight is not per se coercive, especially where, as here, the police-citizen encounter took place at night and the flashlights were simply used to illuminate the scene. See Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d at 561-65, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187 (rejecting the defendant's argument that the officer's use of a flashlight when he approached the parked vehicle was coercive and constituted a seizure where the officer's use of a flashlight was simply "because it was nighttime"). Accordingly, we do not find that the officers' use of flashlights as they approached the Grand Marquis transformed the consensual encounter into a seizure.

¶ 27 Immediately after the officers approached the car, however, defendant began leaning way from the officers toward the center of the car and used his forearm to shield his waist from view. At that point, the officers ordered all of the occupants of the Grand Marquis to put their "hands up." When defendant did so in a manner that allowed him to continue to conceal his waistband, the occupants were then ordered to exit the vehicle. We find that the positioning of the officers around the vehicle, coupled with orders for the vehicle's occupants to put their hands up and to exit the vehicle, constituted a show of force and authority, which transformed the consensual encounter to a seizure. See, e.g. , Gherna , 203 Ill. 2d at 179-80, 271 Ill.Dec. 245, 784 N.E.2d 799 (finding that occupants of a parked vehicle were seized when two bike officers positioned themselves on either side of a parked car, thereby restraining the movement of the car's occupants and preventing them from either exiting the vehicle or driving away from the scene, and began putting questions to the occupants); In re Rafeal E. , 2014 IL App (1st) 133027, ¶ 21, 383 Ill.Dec. 206, 14 N.E.3d 489 (finding that the officer's order to the respondent to " 'put his hands up" constituted "a show of authority" indicative of a seizure); Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d at 557, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187 (recognizing that " 'the mere approach and questioning of [persons seated within parked vehicles] does not constitute a seizure. * * * [However,] the encounter becomes a seizure if the officer orders the suspect to "freeze" or to get out of the car ' " (emphasis added) (quoting 4 Wayne R. LaFave, Searches & Seizures § 9.4(a), at 433 (4th ed. 2004) ) ).

¶ 28 This does not end our inquiry, however, as we must next determine whether the seizure was reasonable. Gherna , 203 Ill. 2d at 181, 271 Ill.Dec. 245, 784 N.E.2d 799 ("[O]nly those seizures which are 'unreasonable' violate the fourth amendment."). In doing so, we necessarily address the State's argument that the seizure was reasonable under the standards set forth in Terry , 392 U.S. 1, 88 S.Ct. 1868, 20 L.Ed.2d 889. In its Terry decision, the Supreme Court created a limited exception to the requirement that a seizure be supported by probable cause and held that a police officer "may conduct a brief, investigatory stop of a citizen [unsupported by probable cause] when the officer has a reasonable, articulable suspicion of criminal activity and such suspicion amounts to more than a mere 'hunch.' " McDonough , 239 Ill. 2d at 268, 346 Ill.Dec. 496, 940 N.E.2d 1100 (citing Terry , 392 U.S. at 27, 88 S.Ct. 1868 ). In articulating the reasonable suspicion standard, the court struck a balance between the need of law enforcement officials to exercise some flexibility when investigating potential criminal activity and the right of citizens to be protected against unreasonable police interference in contravention of their fourth amendment rights. Colyar , 2013 IL 111835, ¶ 33, 374 Ill.Dec. 880, 996 N.E.2d 575 (citing Terry , 392 U.S. at 10-12, 88 S.Ct. 1868 ). Pursuant to the reasonable suspicion standard, "[t]o justify a Terry stop, an officer 'must be able to point to specific and articulable facts which, taken together with rational inferences from those facts, reasonably warrant [the] intrusion.' " People v. Magallanes , 409 Ill. App. 3d 720, 725, 350 Ill.Dec. 462, 948 N.E.2d 742 (2011) (quoting Terry , 392 U.S. at 21, 88 S.Ct. 1868 ). Whether an investigatory stop is reasonable is judged by an objective standard, and only the facts known to the officer at the time of the stop may be considered. People v. Linley , 388 Ill. App. 3d 747, 749, 328 Ill.Dec. 131, 903 N.E.2d 791 (2009) ; see also People v. Sparks , 315 Ill. App. 3d 786, 792, 248 Ill.Dec. 508, 734 N.E.2d 216 (2000) ("The fourth amendment requires some minimal level of objective justification for making the stop."). As a general rule, "[a] trained police officer is given a great deal of latitude in assessing the 'whole picture' based upon the totality of the circumstances, including considerations of modes or patterns of operation of certain kinds of lawbreakers and various practical, objective considerations in determining whether there is reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed." People v. Mata , 178 Ill. App. 3d 155, 160-61, 127 Ill.Dec. 498, 533 N.E.2d 370 (1988) (citing United States v. Cortez , 449 U.S. 411, 419, 101 S.Ct. 690, 66 L.Ed.2d 621 (1981) ).

¶ 29 Here, we find that based on the totality of the circumstances, Detective Amato and his partners had reasonable suspicion to suspect that criminal activity was afoot at the time they initiated the seizure. At the time the seizure was initiated-when the officers surrounded the Grand Marquis and began issuing orders to the occupants-the officers had made several observations. Detective Amato explained that he had initially pulled alongside of the vehicle after he had noticed it in the neighborhood he was patrolling on three occasions during a short 30-40 minute period. The vehicle had been mobile on the first two viewings, but was parked when he saw it for the third time. Upon encountering the vehicle for the third time, Detective Amato pulled up alongside of it and issued several questions to the driver, who was responsive to his questions. Although responsive, the driver admitted that he lied when he stated that he lived "down the street." During the course of this brief encounter, Detective Amato observed defendant slouch further and further down in his seat until only his head was visible. At that point, the officers exited their unmarked car and approached the Grand Marquis. Upon his approach to the driver's side of the car, defendant immediately leaned toward the center of the vehicle with his right hand inside his shirt and his right forearm covering his waist. Based on his years of experience as a police officer, Detective Amato found defendant's continued furtive movements to be suspicious and became concerned with officer safety. Although defendant correctly observes that his "actions did not lead to the inevitable conclusion that he had committed or was committing a crime," the Terry standard does not require an inevitable conclusion or absolute certainty; rather, it simply requires a reasonable suspicion that criminal activity is afoot. Terry , 392 U.S. at 27, 88 S.Ct. 1868 ; McDonough , 239 Ill. 2d at 268, 346 Ill.Dec. 496, 940 N.E.2d 1100. In an effort to dispel his suspicions that criminal activity was afoot and in order to ensure officer safety, Detective Amato ordered defendant and the other occupants of the Grand Marquis to raise their hands into the air. When defendant did so in a manner that allowed him to continue concealing his waist, Detective Amato's suspicion that defendant was armed was strengthened, and he subsequently ordered defendant and the other occupants of the Grand Marquis. The gun then fell to the ground when defendant exited the vehicle.

¶ 30 Defendant emphasizes throughout his brief that mere possession of a firearm is not a crime and that the officers lacked reasonable suspicion that his possession of the firearm was unlawful until after the seizure occurred. Although it is true that simple possession of a firearm is not itself a crime, the fact that the officers were not aware of defendant's status as a convicted felon and parolee or his lack of a FOID card, which ultimately formed the basis for the specific criminal weapons charges filed against him in this matter, is not dispositive because defendant's furtive behavior and repeated efforts to conceal the weapon provided the officers with reasonable suspicion that defendant was not in lawful possession of the firearm. See Mata , 178 Ill. App. 3d at 160, 127 Ill.Dec. 498, 533 N.E.2d 370 ("To accept defendant's argument that the initial detention was invalid because the officer did not yet know the specific crime that had been committed would be directly contrary to the goals of Terry to encourage crime prevention and detection where there is reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed."); see also Colyar , 2013 IL 111835, ¶ 49, 374 Ill.Dec. 880, 996 N.E.2d 575 (rejecting a defendant's argument that police officers are required to completely eliminate any legal explanation for a defendant's suspected possession of a firearm and establish that the defendant was committing a weapons offense before investigating further during a Terry stop). Any other result leaves police officers totally at the mercy of the citizens they encounter on a daily basis whose behavior raises concerns that they are armed.

¶ 31 Accordingly, we find that the circuit court did not err in denying defendant's motion to suppress.

¶ 32 II. Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon Conviction

¶ 33 Defendant next argues that his AUUW conviction must be vacated in light of our supreme court's decisions in People v. Aguilar , 2013 IL 112116, 377 Ill.Dec. 405, 2 N.E.3d 321 and People v. Burns , 2015 IL 117387, 413 Ill.Dec. 810, 79 N.E.3d 159, finding provisions of the state's prior AUUW statute unconstitutional.

¶ 34 The State agrees that defendant's AUUW conviction should be vacated but adopts a different rationale to support this result. Specifically, the State submits that defendant's convictions for AUUW and AHC are based on the same physical act-his possession of a loaded firearm-and thus violate the one-act, one-crime rule. Given that AUUW is the less serious offense, the State agrees that defendant's AUUW conviction should be vacated.

¶ 35 Because reviewing courts are duty-bound to avoid the adjudication of constitutional questions if an issue can be resolved on nonconstitutional grounds, we first address the State's one-act, one-crime argument. See In re E.H. , 224 Ill. 2d 172, 178, 309 Ill.Dec. 1, 863 N.E.2d 231 (2006) ("cases should be decided on nonconstitutional grounds whenever possible, reaching constitutional issues only as a last resort"). Pursuant to the one-act, one-crime rule, a defendant may not be convicted of more than one offense arising out of the same criminal act.

People v. King , 66 Ill. 2d 551, 559-66, 6 Ill.Dec. 891, 363 N.E.2d 838 (1977) ; see also Almond , 2015 IL 113817, ¶ 47, 392 Ill.Dec. 227, 32 N.E.3d 535. For purposes of the one-act, one-crime rule, an "act" is "any overt or outward manifestation which will support a different offense." King , 66 Ill. 2d at 566, 6 Ill.Dec. 891, 363 N.E.2d 838.

¶ 36 The AHC and AUUW statutes both criminalize a defendant's unlawful the possession of firearm. See, e.g. , 720 ILCS 5/24-1.7(a)(1) (West 2014) ("A person commits the offense of being an armed habitual criminal if he or she receives, sells, possesses , or transfers any firearm after having been convicted a total of 2 or more times of * * * a forcible felony [such as robbery and armed robbery.]") (Emphasis added); 720 ILCS 5/24-1.6(a)(1), (a)(3)(A) (West 2014) ("A person commits the offense of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon when he or she knowingly: (1) Carries on or about his or her person or in any vehicle or concealed on or about his or her person except when on his or her land or in his or her abode, legal dwelling, or fixed place of business, or on the land or in the legal dwelling of another person as an invitee with that person's permission, any pistol, revolver, stun gun or taser or other firearm * * * and * * * the firearm, other than a pistol, revolver, or handgun, possessed was uncased, loaded, and immediately accessible at the time of the offense[.]") (Emphasis added.). Here, defendant's convictions for AHC and AUUW are both premised on his possession of a single loaded firearm, and as such violate the one-act, one-crime rule. See, e.g. , People v. West , 2017 IL App (1st) 143632, ¶ 25, 410 Ill.Dec. 644, 70 N.E.3d 771 (finding that the defendant's AUUW and AHC convictions violated the one-act, one-crime rule because both convictions were based on the defendant's possession of a single loaded handgun). Where, as here, a one-act, one-crime violation is found, the proper remedy is to vacate the less serious offense. In re Samantha V. , 234 Ill. 2d 359, 379, 334 Ill.Dec. 661, 917 N.E.2d 487 (2009). AHC is a Class X felony ( 720 ILCS 5/24-1.7(b) (West 2014), whereas defendant's AUUW conviction is a Class 2 felony ( 720 ILCS 5/24-1.6(d)(3) (West 2014) ). Because defendant's AUUW conviction is the less serious offense, we vacate that conviction. See West , 2017 IL App (1st) 143632, ¶ 25, 410 Ill.Dec. 644, 70 N.E.3d 771. In light of this ruling, we need not consider defendant's constitutional challenge to the Illinois AUUW statute. See In re E.H. , 224 Ill. 2d at 178, 309 Ill.Dec. 1, 863 N.E.2d 231.

¶ 37 III. Monetary Assessments

¶ 38 Defendant next challenges the circuit court's order imposing various fines, fees, and costs. He first argues, and the State agrees, that he was improperly assessed a $5 electronic citation fee ( 705 ILCS 105/27.3e (West 2014) ), a $5 court system fee ( 55 ILCS 5/5-1101(a) (West 2014) ) and a $100 streetgang fine ( 730 ILCS 5/5-9-1.19 (West 2014) ). We will address the propriety of each of the monetary assessments in turn.

¶ 39 As a threshold matter, we note that defendant failed to challenge the propriety of his assessments in the circuit court. Generally, a defendant's failure to challenge a sentencing issue in the circuit court through a contemporaneous objection and a postsentencing motion results in forfeiture of the claim on appeal. People v. Brown , 2017 IL App (1st) 142877, ¶ 70, 412 Ill.Dec. 465, 75 N.E.3d 445 ; People v. Reed , 2016 IL App (1st) 140498, ¶ 13, 400 Ill.Dec. 341, 48 N.E.3d 290. The rules of forfeiture, however, are likewise applicable to the State. Brown , 2017 IL App (1st) 142877, ¶ 70, 412 Ill.Dec. 465, 75 N.E.3d 445 ; Reed , 2016 IL App (1st) 140498, ¶ 13, 400 Ill.Dec. 341, 48 N.E.3d 290. Given that the State has not raised any argument that defendant has forfeited his challenges concerning the propriety of his monetary assessments, we will address the merit of his claims. Brown , 2017 IL App (1st) 142877, ¶ 70, 412 Ill.Dec. 465, 75 N.E.3d 445. The propriety of a fines and fees order is subject to de novo review. People v. Bowen , 2015 IL App (1st) 132046, ¶ 60, 395 Ill.Dec. 221, 38 N.E.3d 98 ; People v. Price , 375 Ill. App. 3d 684, 697, 313 Ill.Dec. 829, 873 N.E.2d 453 (2007).

¶ 40 Defendant first argues that the circuit court erred in assessing a $5 electronic citation fee pursuant to section 27.3e of the Clerks of Courts Act ( 705 ILCS 105/27.3e (West 2014) ) because he was not convicted of the specific offenses delineated in the statute. The State agrees that this fee was assessed in error and should be vacated. Section 27.3e of the Clerks of Courts Act provides for the payment of a $5 electronic citation fee by defendants "in any traffic, misdemeanor, municipal ordinance, or conservation case." 705 ILCS 105/27.3e (West 2014). Defendant was not found guilty of any of the specific type of qualifying offenses enumerated in section 27.3e of the Clerks of Courts Act. Accordingly, we direct the circuit court to vacate the $5 electronic citation fee.

¶ 41 We also find that the $5 court system fee was similarly improperly assessed. Like the aforementioned electronic citation fee ( 705 ILCS 105/27.3e (West 2014) ), the court system fee may only be imposed under certain circumstances. Specifically, section 5-1101(a) of the Counties Code authorizes the fee when a defendant is convicted of violating the Illinois Vehicle Code or other similar municipal ordinance ( 55 ILCS 5/5-1101(a) (West 2014) ). Because defendant was convicted of a criminal offense in contravention of the Criminal Code of 2012, the fee is inapplicable and we order it to be vacated. See, e.g. , People v. Akins , 2014 IL App (1st) 093418-B, ¶ 22, 383 Ill.Dec. 868, 16 N.E.3d 50 (vacating the $5 court system fee where the defendant was convicted of AUUW, a violation of the Criminal Code, and not a violation of the Illinois Vehicle Code or other similar municipal ordinance).

¶ 42 We also agree with the parties that the $100 streetgang fine was improperly levied against defendant. That fine, set forth in section 5-9-1.19 of the Unified Code of Corrections, provides:

"In addition to any other penalty imposed, a fine of $100 shall be imposed upon a person convicted of any violation of the Criminal Code of 1961 or the Criminal Code of 2012 who was, at the time of the commission of the violation a streetgang member, as defined in Section 10 of the Illinois Streetgang Terrorism Omnibus Prevention Act." 730 ILCS 5/5-9-1.19 (West 2014).

Because the record contains no evidence that defendant was a streetgang member at the time of the offense, the imposition of the $100 streetgang fine was improper. See, e.g. , People v. Smith , 2015 IL App (1st) 132176, ¶ 34, 394 Ill.Dec. 811, 37 N.E.3d 290 (finding that the fine was improperly assessed where there was no evidence that the defendant was a member of a gang at the time he committed the offense). We thus order the circuit court to vacate this fine.

¶ 43 Defendant next argues that he is entitled to offset the fines imposed against him with his statutorily granted presentence incarceration credit.

¶ 44 Section 110-14(a) of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 provides:

"Any person incarcerated on a bailable offense who does not supply bail and against whom a fine is levied on conviction of such offense shall be allowed a credit of $5 for each day so incarcerated upon application of the defendant. However, in no case shall the amount so allowed or credited exceed the amount of the fine ." (Emphases added.) 725 ILCS 5/110-14(a) (West 2014).

Pursuant to the plain language of the statute, however, a defendant's presentence incarceration credit may only be applied to fines, not fees. 725 ILCS 5/110-14(a) (West 2014); People v. Johnson , 2011 IL 111817, ¶ 8, 355 Ill.Dec. 417, 959 N.E.2d 1150. A charge is considered a "fee" where it assessed in order to " 'recoup expenses incurred by the state,' or to compensate the state for some expenditure incurred in prosecuting the defendant." People v. Graves , 235 Ill. 2d 244, 250, 335 Ill.Dec. 881, 919 N.E.2d 906 (2009) (quoting People v. Jones , 223 Ill. 2d 569, 582, 308 Ill.Dec. 402, 861 N.E.2d 967 (2006) ). A "fine," in contrast, is " ' "punitive in nature" ' and is ' "a pecuniary punishment imposed as part of a sentence on a person convicted of a criminal offense." ' " Graves , 235 Ill. 2d at 250, 335 Ill.Dec. 881, 919 N.E.2d 906 (quoting Jones , 223 Ill. 2d at 581, 308 Ill.Dec. 402, 861 N.E.2d 967 ). The label utilized by the legislature to describe the charge is not dispositive ( Jones , 223 Ill. 2d at 583, 308 Ill.Dec. 402, 861 N.E.2d 967 ; Brown , 2017 IL App (1st) 142877, ¶ 73, 412 Ill.Dec. 465, 75 N.E.3d 445 ); rather, to determine the true nature of the charge, the "most important factor" to consider is "whether the charge seeks to compensate the state for any costs incurred as a result of prosecuting the defendant" ( Graves , 235 Ill. 2d at 250, 335 Ill.Dec. 881, 919 N.E.2d 906 ).

¶ 45 In this case, defendant argues and the State agrees that the $10 mental health court assessment ( 55 ILCS 5/5-1101(d-5) (West 2014) ), the $5 youth diversion/peer court assessment ( 55 ILCS 5/5-1101(e) (West 2014) ), the $5 drug court assessment ( 55 ILCS 5/5-1101(f) (West 2014) ), the $30 Children's Advocacy Center assessment ( 55 ILCS 5/5-1101(f-5) (West 2014) ), the $15 State and Conservation Police operations (State Police Operations) assessment ( 705 ILCS 105/27.3a (West 2014) ), and the $50 court system assessment ( 55 ILCS 5/5-1101(c) (West 2014) ) are all fines subject to offset with presentence incarceration credit because they are all punitive in nature and not designed to compensate the State for expenses incurred in defendant's prosecution. We agree with the parties. Reviewing courts have construed the aforementioned assessments as fines rather than fees, which are subject to offset with presentence incarceration credit. See, e.g. , Price , 375 Ill. App. 3d at 701, 313 Ill.Dec. 829, 873 N.E.2d 453 (concluding that the mental health court and youth diversion/peer court assessments were fines rather than fees);

People v. Unander , 404 Ill. App. 3d 884, 891, 344 Ill.Dec. 266, 936 N.E.2d 795 (2010) (holding that the $5 drug court assessment was a fine subject to offset with presentence incarceration credit); People v. Jones , 397 Ill. App. 3d 651, 660, 336 Ill.Dec. 912, 921 N.E.2d 768 (2009) (concluding that the $30 Children's Advocacy Center charge was a fine, not a fee); People v. Maxey , 2016 IL App (1st) 130698, ¶ 140-41, 405 Ill.Dec. 41, 57 N.E.3d 726 (finding that the $15 State Police Operations assessment was a fine subject to offset), vacated by No. 121137, 419 Ill.Dec. 636, 93 N.E.3d 1053 (Ill. Nov. 22, 2017) (supervisory order); Reed , 2016 IL App (1st) 140498, ¶ 15, 400 Ill.Dec. 341, 48 N.E.3d 290 (construing the $50 court system assessment as a fine subject to offset).

¶ 46 In conclusion, we find that defendant was erroneously assessed the aforementioned $5 electronic citation fee, the $5 court system fee, and the $100 streetgang fine. We further find that the $10 mental health court assessment, the $5 youth diversion/peer court assessment, the $5 drug court assessment, the $30 Children's Advocacy Center assessment, the $15 State Police Operations assessment, and the $50 court system assessment may be offset by defendant's available presentence incarceration credit. We remand to the circuit court with instructions to modify the fines, fees, and costs order in accordance with this disposition.

¶ 47 CONCLUSION

¶ 48 For the reasons explained above, we affirm defendant's armed habitual criminal and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon convictions; however, we vacate his aggravated unlawful use of a weapon conviction. We remand the matter to the circuit court for the limited purpose of modifying the fines, fees, and costs order.

¶ 49 Affirmed in part, vacated in part, and remanded in part.

Justice Mason concurred in the judgment and opinion.

Justice Hyman concurred in part and dissented in part.

¶ 50 JUSTICE HYMAN, concurring in part and dissenting in part:

¶ 51 I agree with my colleagues that Gomez's AUUW conviction should be vacated under the one-act, one-crime doctrine, and the fines and fees remanded for modification. But I disagree with the majority's conclusion that Gomez and his friends were not seized until the police ordered them out of the car. That seizure actually occurred when the police got out of their own unmarked car and approached Junior's car, despite the absence of specific, articulable facts that could give rise to reasonable suspicion of criminal activity.

¶ 52 The majority uses the correct standard as to whether a seizure has occurred: would a reasonable person have believed that he or she was free to leave or otherwise terminate the encounter. People v. Luedemann , 222 Ill. 2d 530, 551, 306 Ill.Dec. 94, 857 N.E.2d 187 (2006) (citing Florida v. Bostick , 501 U.S. 429, 438, 111 S.Ct. 2382, 115 L.Ed.2d 389 (1991) ).

¶ 53 The United States Supreme Court compiled a list of several factors that might indicate a seizure (though this is not an exhaustive list): (i) the threatening presence of several officers, (ii) a display of weapons, (iii) physical touching, or (iv) use of language or voice indicating that compliance is required. United States v. Mendenhall , 446 U.S. 544, 554, 100 S.Ct. 1870, 64 L.Ed.2d 497 (1980) (opinion of Stewart, J., joined by Rehnquist, J.). These factors were adopted by Illinois Supreme Court in People v. Murray , 137 Ill. 2d 382, 390, 148 Ill.Dec. 7, 560 N.E.2d 309 (1990). Several times, our supreme court has applied these factors in the context of police officers communicating with individuals who are inside a parked car. In People v. Gherna , the court held that two police officers on bicycles, one by the driver's door and one by the passenger's door, had "seized" the car by their positioning and their questioning about possible underage drinking. 203 Ill. 2d 165, 179-81, 271 Ill.Dec. 245, 784 N.E.2d 799 (2003). But in People v. Cosby , the court came to a different conclusion, holding that two officers, one on each side of the vehicle, did not seize it. 231 Ill. 2d 262, 278, 325 Ill.Dec. 556, 898 N.E.2d 603 (2008).

¶ 54 Cosby rather weakly distinguished Gherna because there was no additional evidence, other than the officers' positions, that the officers were attempting to "box in" the vehicle. Cosby , 231 Ill. 2d at 279-80, 325 Ill.Dec. 556, 898 N.E.2d 603. The weakness of this distinction is emphasized by the police officers' mode of transport: in Cosby , the two officers approached on foot, while the Gherna officers were riding bicycles. There is no logical argument that two bicycles are a better method of "boxing in" a vehicle than two officers on foot.

¶ 55 The majority states that the record "does not contain any evidence" as to whether any other vehicles were parked behind or in front of Junior's car. This is incorrect. Baez testified that Junior had parallel-parked his car, so when Detective Amato parked his car alongside Junior's, Junior could not drive away. While Detective Amato testified that he did not block Junior's car, he did not remember whether other cars were parked immediately in front of or behind Junior's car. The trial court did not make any specific finding on this point, but merely stated that "the officer approached the vehicle in their vehicle parallel" (which is not in dispute) and "there's no indication that they can't leave" (which does not address the discrepancy between Baez's testimony and Amato's failure to recollect this detail). But we are to defer to factual findings, though this isn't much of a finding.

¶ 56 Even if we defer to the trial court's finding that Junior's car was not boxed in, that car was seized earlier than the majority concludes. Three officers approached Junior's car, on foot. Amato and Karczewski went to the driver's side, and Pacelli went to the passenger's side. This is a more effective "boxing in" than occurred in either Gherna or Cosby . The majority rejects the notion that using flashlights transformed the encounter into a seizure, but the flashlights were not necessary to make that transformation. The presence of three officers asking questions was sufficient enough that a "reasonable person" would not have felt free to drive away or terminate the encounter, particularly if moving the car even a few feet might have struck one of the officers. (And given recent unfortunate encounters between motorists and approaching police officers, even an unreasonable motorist might think that he or she does not have the freedom to end even a consensual encounter with police.)

¶ 57 The next question is whether Detective Amato had reasonable suspicion, at this point, to justify conducting the Terry stop. He testified that at the time he decided to get out of the car, his suspicion was based on three facts: (i) he had seen the vehicle driving around the neighborhood on two occasions earlier that evening; (ii) the driver (Junior) initially said that he lived "down the street," but then backtracked and said he lived on the other side of Pulaski; and (iii) he saw Gomez slouching down in the back seat.

¶ 58 The first of these is an utterly ludicrous basis for reasonable suspicion. Merely driving around a neighborhood over the course of an evening does not indicate or suggest criminal activity. If this was so, every car used by a neighborhood resident to run a couple of errands could be viewed by police as a predictor of criminal activity.

¶ 59 The second basis, although not ludicrous, also is insufficient in itself to suspect criminal activity. If this was in fact a "consensual encounter" (as the majority states that it was, at this point), then lying about, or being insufficiently clear about, one's address is not a crime. It could indicate criminal activity; but just as likely, it could indicate that a person had recently moved, was staying with friends, or was homeless. The same applies to the third point, Gomez's "slouching." One's posture is not an indication of criminal activity; nor, for that matter, is visible discomfort with police contact. Even if this police encounter was initially "consensual," no one in this situation thought that Amato had pulled up alongside Junior to have a friendly chat about the weather.

¶ 60 I believe the conclusion that the totality of the facts justifies the stop places undue confidence on Amato's foresight and relies on after-the-fact knowledge of the outcome, wrongly allowing hindsight to determine the lawfulness of the stop. I would hold that the motion to suppress should have been granted.

      Although Baez describes the vehicle as a taxi car, it is not clear whether or not the vehicle bore any signs or markings indicating that it was used as a taxi. As will be shown below, the detective who encountered the vehicle simply described it as a white Mercury Grand Marquis.

      Although the State acknowledges that defendant was seized, the State's brief is not entirely clear about the exact timing of the seizure.

      The record rebuts defendant's argument that he was seized "solely because [the officers] suspected he possessed a firearm." As such, we need not consider his argument concerning the propriety of a hypothetical Terry stop predicated solely on an officer's suspicion that a defendant was in possession of a firearm.

      Defendant concedes that there was no search; rather, "the officers did not get to search [him] * * * because the gun fell out of his pants as soon as one officer stood him up."

      Defendant correctly observes that his unlawful use of a weapon by a felon (UUW) conviction was based on his possession of firearm ammunition, a separate act, and thus his convictions for AHC and UUW do not run afoul of the one-act, one-crime rule. See Almond , 2015 IL 113817, ¶ 48, 392 Ill.Dec. 227, 32 N.E.3d 535 (finding that the defendant's AHC and UUW convictions did not violate the one-act, one-crime rule because his AHC conviction was premised on his possession of a firearm whereas his UUW conviction was based on his possession of a firearm ammunition, explaining: "[T]he act of possession of a firearm is materially different from the act of possession of firearm ammunition, even if both items are possessed simultaneously").

      Defendant was arrested on July 3, 2014, and sentenced on January 28, 2015. He was thus incarcerated on a bailable offense for 209 days prior to being sentenced. We note that defendant correctly identifies the number of days in which was in custody prior to sentencing. The State's brief, however, erroneously states that defendant "was incarcerated on a bailable offense for 608 days before sentencing."