legal settlement
Out-of-court deal
A legal settlement is an agreement that resolves a dispute without a trial or final judgment.
Parties negotiate terms—often involving payment—to end litigation or avoid it entirely.
Settlements may include confidentiality clauses preventing disclosure: The terms of the settlement were not made public.
Most civil lawsuits end in settlement rather than verdict.
- compromiseAgreement through mutual sacrifice
- out of courtResolved privately, no trial
- civil litigationNon-criminal court proceedings
- mediationIntervention to resolve conflict
- defendantParty facing charges
negotiation · arbitration · plaintiff · shake hands · lawyer · financial compensation · plea bargain · damages · liability release · sign on the dotted line · agreement · nondisclosure agreement · restitution · family law · class action · court order · tort law · judge
legal settlementjury verdict
Deliberating body's formal decision
trial verdict · court judgment · adjudication · judicial ruling · summary judgment