Settlement Agreement and Release
(CA)

Summary

This template is a settlement agreement to resolve a California civil action. This template includes practical guidance, drafting notes, and optional paragraphs. For a full listing of key content covering fundamental civil litigation tasks throughout a California state court litigation lifecycle, see Civil Litigation Fundamentals Resource Kit (CA). This template is for use in a typical situation in which a plaintiff agrees to dismiss a pending case against a defendant and release all claims related to the litigation in exchange for a monetary payment. The template should, of course, be modified as needed based on the specific circumstances of the settlement (e.g., if the settlement is made before litigation is filed, nonmonetary consideration is involved, etc.). For additional information about settlements, see Settlement Fundamentals and Tactics (CA) and Settlement Fundamentals Checklist (CA).