(a) In civil litigation under any legal theory involving a signatory, a successor to a signatory, or a parent or an affiliate of a signatory to the Master Settlement Agreement described in Section 6z-43 of the State Finance Act, execution of the judgment shall be stayed during the entire course of appellate review upon the posting of a supersedeas bond or other form of security in accordance with applicable laws or court rules, except that the total amount of the supersedeas bond or other form of security that is required of all appellants collectively shall not exceed $250,000,000, regardless of the amount of the judgment, provided that this limitation shall apply only if appellants file at least 30% of the total amount in the form of cash, a letter of credit, a certificate of deposit, or other cash equivalent with the court. The cash or cash equivalent shall be deposited by the clerk of the court in the account of the court, and any interest earned shall be utilized as provided by law.
     (b) Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this Section, if an appellee proves by a preponderance of the evidence that an appellant is dissipating assets outside the ordinary course of business to avoid payment of a judgment, a court may require the appellant to post a supersedeas bond in an amount up to the total amount of the judgment.
     (c) This Section applies to pending actions as well as actions commenced on or after its effective date, and to judgments entered or reinstated on or after its effective date.