Oral settlement agreement approved by judge is binding

Federal Courts

By Jay S. Judge

Jay S. Judge, a name partner of Judge, James, Hoban & Judge LLC in Park Ridge, is a defense attorney who specializes in trials, appeals and insurance coverage. Judge graduated with honors from The John Marshall Law School and served as editor-in-chief of the school’s law review.

Posted October 27, 2020 11:45 AM

This 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals case clarifies an issue which sometimes causes confusion for the parties: Is a settlement of a case before a judge binding if it is an oral settlement, or must the settlement be reduced to writing and signed by the parties before it becomes legally binding? In Harmon v. Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, 2020 WL 6075730 (7th Cir. 2020), plaintiff Lisa Harmon sued her employer, the Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, claiming racial …

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