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Court of Appeals issues opinion on 43k settlements

By Bill Watkins, Esq.

The following settlement was put on record just before trial:

Your Honor, the settlement that?s been reached is that this case will be dismissed with prejudice by an order of dismissal with prejudice to be consented to by the parties and signed by your honor.

Furthermore, the defendants, each and every one of them, will consent to and sign and deliver to me a confession of judgment which will provide for the payment of $165,000 within 18 months. And there will be additional payment terms in there, $25,000 of the 165 within 30 days.

Further, in kind consideration, in addition to the 165,000 the return of 15 rugs, three of which shall be room size Herizes, the confession of judgment will have an attorney?s fee provision that in the event of default, that the cost of enforcing the judgment or collecting the judgment will be recoverable.

And, finally, the confession of judgment will have a no contest stipulation. If it?s required to be domesticated in some state other than South Carolina, the defendants agree not to contest the domestication.

Some weeks after this was put on the record, the parties disputed whether interest was applicable. The court of appeals held that even though interest was not mentioned, it was applicable. The court of appeals held that interest was applicable: "However, interest is provided for by statute. Section 34-31-20(A) provides '[i]n all cases of accounts stated and in all cases wherein any sum or sums of money shall be ascertained and, being due, shall draw interest according to law, the legal interest shall be at the rate of eight and three-fourths percent per annum.'"

The case is Vista Antiques v. Noaha.

Full post as published by South Carolina Appellate Law Blog on October 21, 2008 (boomark / email).