Purchasing a car from a private seller. Nightmare.

Might be easier if you look up Illinois state law regarding vehicle titles and sales before deciding that something was done improperly.

In Illinois, a person may lawfully sell a vehicle without being on the title. Neither the Secretary of State, police or any judge is going to overturn the sale and/or titling for a "jumped" title since it is considered legal.

The only way it gets overturned is if the original title holder never got paid for the vehicle.