Such sanitary district shall be held in all courts to be a body corporate, and politic, under the name and style of …. sanitary district, and by such name and style may sue and be sued, contract and be contracted with, acquire and hold real and personal property necessary for corporate purposes, have a common seal, and change the same at pleasure, and exercise all the powers in this Act conferred. No claim for compensation shall be made or suit for damages filed against such district on account of any damage to property, unless notice in writing is filed with the board within 6 months after the occurrence of the damage or injury giving the name and residence address of the owner of the property damaged, its location and the probable extent of the damage sustained. All courts of this State shall take judicial notice of the existence of sanitary districts organized hereunder.
     The board of commissioners may, by ordinance, change the corporate name of a sanitary district organized under this Act. Such ordinance shall be published at least once in a newspaper having a general circulation within the district and shall become effective 10 days after such first publication. A copy of such ordinance together with a certificate of publication thereof certified by the president of the board shall be transmitted to the Secretary of State. After such ordinance becomes effective all references in any ordinance, resolution, bonds, or any other document to such sanitary district by its former corporate name shall mean and include the corporate name under which such sanitary district is then operating. No rights, duties or privileges of such sanitary district, or those of any person, existing before the change of corporate name shall be affected by such change of name. All proceedings pending in any court in favor of or against a sanitary district at the time a change of corporate name is effected may continue to final consummation under the name in which they were commenced.