A settlement is an agreement among two or more parties to a commission adjudication that resolves one or more disputed issues in that proceeding. All settlements must be documented in a written settlement agreement that the parties file with the commission as a proposed resolution of those issues. No settlement is effective unless and until the commission approves it.

(1) Full settlement. A full settlement is an agreement of all parties that would resolve all disputed issues in an adjudication.

(2) Partial settlement. A partial settlement is an agreement of all parties on some, but not all, of the disputed issues in an adjudication. The parties may litigate the disputed issues the agreement does not resolve.

(3) Multiparty settlement. A multiparty settlement is an agreement among some, but not all, parties in an adjudication to resolve one or more disputed issues.

(a) Full multiparty settlement. A full multiparty settlement is an agreement among some, but not all, parties to resolve all disputed issues between them. The parties that are not included in the settlement agreement have the rights set forth in WAC 480-07-740 (3)(c).

(b) Partial multiparty settlement. A partial multiparty settlement is an agreement among some, but not all, parties to resolve some, but not all, disputed issues between them. The parties may litigate the disputed issues the agreement does not resolve. The parties that are not included in the settlement agreement also have the rights set forth in WAC 480-07-740 (3)(c).

(4) Notice to commission. When submitting any type of settlement agreement for commission approval, parties must advise the commission if they have reached a full, partial, full multiparty, or partial multiparty settlement.

(5) Settlement agreement contents. A settlement agreement must describe the dispute between the parties and set forth the terms and conditions to which the parties have agreed to resolve that dispute.