Only Michigan has a similar rule, which unseals secret settlements after two years.

They are warier still of the argument that secret settlements in some situations can themselves amount to a crime.

The victim reached a secret settlement with the diocese of Jefferson City in 1996 for $125,000.

And plaintiffs agreed to all of the secret settlements.

"There's a rumor that you Rimmers have started a secret settlement back there, that you're trying to build your own city."

Several states have laws and rules that limit secret settlements, typically in cases involving public safety.

Michigan, the only state with such a rule, requires that secret settlements be revealed after two years.

It is not hard to see why secret settlements are popular; they often advance the interests of everyone in the courtroom.

The main loser in secret settlements is the public.

The main character accidentally brings the government into the secret settlement of the Smoke.