Definition

Noun: - Resolution of a dispute prior to the rendering of a final decision by the trial court: An agreement reached between parties involved in a legal dispute to resolve the matter privately, without requiring a formal judgment from a court. This typically involves one party agreeing to pay the other a sum of money or take a specific action in exchange for the lawsuit being dropped.

Usage

• This term is used primarily in legal and business contexts to describe the conclusion of a lawsuit or legal claim before a judge or jury makes a final ruling.
• It is a specific type of settlement. The phrase "out-of-court" modifies "settlement" to specify where the agreement was finalized.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The company offered an out-of-court settlement to avoid the negative publicity of a trial.
  • After months of negotiation, the two parties reached an out-of-court settlement.
  • Her lawyer advised her to accept the out-of-court settlement as it was a fair offer.

Advanced Usage

• "to reach an out-of-court settlement": This is the most common verb collocation, describing the process of agreeing to the terms.
  • The plaintiff and defendant finally reached an out-of-court settlement.
• "to agree to an out-of-court settlement": Describes the act of consenting to the proposed terms.
  • He agreed to the out-of-court settlement to end the lengthy legal battle.

Variants and Related Words

• Settlement (n): A general term for an agreement that resolves a dispute. An "out-of-court settlement" is one type of settlement.
• Confidential settlement (n): A specific type of out-of-court settlement where the terms are kept secret by the parties.
• Pre-trial settlement (n): A near-synonym, emphasizing that the agreement happens before the trial begins.

Synonyms

• Pre-trial agreement: An agreement made before a court trial begins.
• Private settlement: Emphasizes the non-public, negotiated nature of the resolution.

Related Phrases

• To settle out of court (verb phrase): The action of reaching an out-of-court settlement.
  • They decided to settle out of court to save time and legal fees.

Noun

1. resolution of a dispute prior to the rendering of a final decision by the trial court