A Capehart Scatchard Blog

Don’t Forget to Negotiate the Nonmonetary Terms of Your Settlement Before You Reach a Final Settlement

By on February 6, 2015 in Blog, NJ Litigation with 0 Comments

Often parties are so focused on the monetary terms of a settlement, that they forget that there could be material nonmonetary terms that are important as well. Once a monetary offer is made and accepted, unless it has been made clear that there are other terms that are required to reach a final settlement, the other party could legitimately take the position that a final settlement has been reached and could move to enforce the settlement as binding – without those nonmonetary terms being included.

Some standard nonmonetary terms that are typically included in a personal injury settlement include the following:

  • Blanket release
  • Child support judgment search
  • Lien documentation
  • Medicare conditional payment letter
  • W-9 of plaintiff’s attorney

When the offer is conveyed, there should be a discussion of the closing documentation that will be required to effectuate the settlement to avoid a dispute over whether these documents are required to complete the settlement.

Sometimes a party desire that a certain form of release be used, additional parties be added to the release (such as an insurance carrier or a parent or subsidiary of the named party), or a narrow release be used (such as a release only as to certain claims and not a blanket release). If other than the boilerplate form of release is desired, any special language must be negotiated before a final settlement is reached.

Parties also need to consider whether they want a settlement agreement to memorialize the settlement – not just a release. If so, that needs to be made clear to the opposing counsel when the offer is conveyed – that the offer is subject to memorialization in a written settlement agreement.

Other nonmonetary terms that should be considered in a negotiating a settlement, depending on the type of case, include:

  • Venue and jurisdiction clause (if a dispute arises over the settlement, what court would have jurisdiction to resolve the dispute?)
  • When is the settlement check due?
  • Are attorney’s fees being released? (This should always be addressed in any nonpersonal injury release.)
  • Nondisparagement clause
  • Tax treatment of settlement monies paid

Last, and often very important to a defendant, is whether the settlement must remain confidential. A confidentiality provision is a material term that must be negotiated before a final settlement is reached. And, from a practical standpoint, it should be conveyed with the first offer. If it is not mentioned until the end of the negotiations, the plaintiff may have already discussed the offer with third parties and a confidentiality provision will not be as effective.

The point of this article is that often there are nonmonetary terms to a settlement that are very important to a party. They should be discussed and negotiated at the same time as the monetary terms or they may end up not included in the settlement.

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About the Author

About the Author:

Betsy G. Ramos, Esq. is an Executive Committee Member and Co-Chair of the Litigation Department at Capehart Scatchard, P.A. located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Civil Trial Attorney, Ms. Ramos is an experienced litigator with over 30 years’ experience handling diverse matters. Her practice areas include tort defense, business litigation, estate litigation, tort claims and civil rights defense, construction litigation, insurance coverage, employment litigation, shareholder disputes, and general litigation.

Ms. Ramos was selected to the “New Jersey Super Lawyer” list (2005; 2009-2024 in the area of Business Litigation). Only 5% of attorneys are selected to “Super Lawyers” through a peer nominated process based on independent research and peer evaluation. The Super Lawyers list is issued by Thomson Reuters. For a description of the “Super Lawyers” selection methodology, please visit https://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process.html

For the years 2020-2024, Ms. Ramos was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® list in the practice area of Litigation - Insurance. This award is conferred by Best Lawyers. The attorneys on this list are selected based upon the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area. A complete description of The Best Lawyers in America® methodology can be viewed via their website at https://www.bestlawyers.com/methodology.

In 2021, Capehart Scatchard and Ms. Ramos received the “Best Law Firm” ranking in the area of Litigation – Insurance (Metro, Tier 3) published by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®. Law firms included on the list are recognized for professional excellence with consistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have at least one attorney who has been included in the current edition of Best Lawyers in America, which recognizes the top five percent of practicing lawyers in the United States. Betsy Ramos (Litigation – Insurance) was recognized for this prestigious award in the 2021 edition. For a description of the “Best Law Firm” selection methodology please visit https://shorturl.at/ahlQ7
“Best Law Firms” is published by Best Lawyers in partnership with U.S. News & World Report. For a description of the selection methodology please visit https://shorturl.at/ahlQ7

*No aspect of this advertisement has been submitted to or approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

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