settlement credit
settlement credit. Civil procedure. A court’s reduction of the amount of a jury verdict — or the effect of the verdict on nonsettling defendants — to account for settlement funds the plaintiff has received from former defendants or from other responsible parties. [Cases: Compromise and Settlement 15(1); Damages 63. C.J.S. Compromise and Settlement §§ 32–33, 35–37, 40–41; Damages §§ 169–171.]