The plaintiff brought a motion to enforce a settlement agreement arising from a dispute over a boat that the defendant had taken possession of after the parties’ relationship ended.
Through email exchanges, the defendant accepted the plaintiff’s offer to settle the action for $20,000 inclusive of costs and later requested an extension of time to pay.
The defendant later argued that no binding agreement existed because no settlement agreement or release had been signed.
The court held that the email correspondence clearly demonstrated agreement on all essential terms and that a signed document was not required for a binding settlement.
Finding no genuine issue regarding the parties’ intention to be bound and no policy reason to refuse enforcement, the court enforced the settlement.
