"The verdict of the jury is that decision of the issues which the jury orally announces to the court, and which is received and recorded at the direction of the court as the finding of the jury." 50 Pennsylvania Law Encyclopedia Trial § 381 (2nd ed. 2019).
A settlement is "an agreement ending a dispute or lawsuit." Settlement, Black's Law Dictionary (11th ed. 2019).
"Settlement is not only the modal litigation outcome, it is also the most common successful outcome for plaintiffs, far exceeding the number of successes at trial." Theodore Eisenberg and Charlotte Lanvers, What is the Settlement Rate and Why Should We Care? 6 J. Empirical Legal Stud. 111, 112 (2009).
Verdicts and settlements are not published in court reporters. They cannot be found when searching sources based on case law. However, because verdicts and settlements can be important tools in the legal research process, attorneys must employ other means to find jury verdicts and settlement awards.
This guide focuses on the major verdict and settlement searching tools available for Jenkins' members and should aid in making the verdict and settlement search easier. Additional resources may be available to librarians at Jenkins for a fee. Please contact Research Services at 215.574.1505 or research@jenkinslaw.org for more information.