“Settlement”

Parties to a lawsuit resolve their dispute without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in at least partial satisfaction of the other party's claims, but usually do not include the admission of fault.

The resolution between disputing parties of a legal civil claim, reached either before or after court action begins. In general, counsel mandated by Justice Canada must ensure that settlements serve the public interest and do not involve legitimate constitutional, Charter or other public law issues or policies that need to be addressed by courts. In particular, counsel must balance the Crown's interest in reducing litigation costs by settling early and its interest in protecting the public purse against inappropriate settlements.