What is a Consent Decree?

With so many horrible experiences that people face in the legal system today, there is no doubt that the best outcome to any legal action is the use of a consent decree. This means that the two parties were able to come to some sort of reconciliation even if sacrifices had to be made. Its a better solution for everyone.

There have been some very important consent decrees signed and agreed to in our recent history. One example is the Florida consent decree that was signed by a United States District Court in Southern Florida and empowered it to enforce the outcome of a civil rights case involving the education of multi-ethnic students in Florida public schools.

This decision has significantly increased the ability for the education system in Florida State to handle and help deal with students that are transition language from their native spoken word.

The outcome of course is a more educated public that everyone can agree will contribute the a more just and happy society.

I think that a major point behind the government desire for the use of consent decrees is that often it is the government that is suing a company or organization that has violated a policy or law of some type. The author mentions this in the article and I think it is important to note that when the government is the plaintiff in these lawsuits, consent decrees are more acceptable to them because monetary repayment is often not the desired result but rather a compliance agreement or other form of conforming to the regulation.

@sammyG you make some excellent observations about the problem with law suits and government bodies that are forced into them. Unfortunately I don't thing that by increasing the amount of times that we come to a settlement and have a judge sign a consent decree will actually solve this legal epidemic in the United States.

What we really need is some kind of legal reform that will allow for a better filter of what kind of law suits can actually be brought against organizations like the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. I have no doubt that there are probably some very legitimate claims that may come forward from time to time but I highly speculate that the vast majority have malicious and greedy intent behind the lawsuit.

I think that agreements and consent decrees should be used more often by government regulatory bodies as to avoid a costly legal process. Our elected officials and bureaucrats already spend unhealthy amounts of money on a variety of unnecessary items and lawsuits and lawyers should not be a part of it.

So many frivolous law suits are brought against our government organizations that often it is much less of an expense to just come to an agreement and avoid the trials that people will endure simply to make money off of a silly issue.

It is sad and unfortunate that we have to pay some of these people off that don't deserve it but at least by obtaining a consent decree from a judge we can effectively reduce the cost of legal expenses incurred by already budget burdened government offices.