When you suffer because of someone else’s negligence, you may decide to take them to court in Texas. You may have suffered injuries, lost time at work and had emotional strain due to the incident. Once you begin working on your case, your attorney may advise you that the other side wants to settle. Settling your case, according to the American Bar Association, is when you come to an agreement outside of court.
If you settle your case, you will not have a judge make a ruling. Instead, your attorney and the other person’s attorney discuss possible settlement options. Generally, in a premises liability case, this means one side offers a dollar amount and they negotiate until you accept it.
Settling a case can save time and money because you do not need to go through the formal trial process. You can settle a case at any time. A settlement offer may come even after you start the trial. The other side may want to settle because it gives him or her more control over the end result. You may want to settle to wrap things up quicker. In addition, you may end up getting more from a settlement than the court would have given to you.
You do not have to settle your case. This is entirely optional. If you feel the settlement offer is too low and the other party will not offer more, then you certainly can go to court and let the judge decide. This information is for education and is not legal advice.