The court may enter a judgment at any time by consent of the parties. The clerk may enter a judgment at any time by consent of the parties if the judgment (a) is for a specified amount of money or for costs or denies all relief and (b) adjudicates all of the claims for relief presented in the action, whether by original claim, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim.
Rule 2-612.Consent judgment
Circuit Court · Last amended July 1, 1986 · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 2-612 lets parties end a case by consent judgment, entered either by the court at any time or, for simple money judgments that resolve every claim, directly by the clerk.
Full Text of Rule 2-612
Amendment History
Amended Apr. 7, 1986, effective July 1, 1986.
Committee Note & Source
Source. This Rule is new.
Plain-English Summary
When both sides agree on an outcome, the court can enter a consent judgment at any time — no trial, no hearing, just the parties' agreement reflected in a judgment. That authority is broad and covers any kind of relief the parties agree to, monetary or otherwise.
The clerk's power to enter a consent judgment is narrower. Two things must both be true: the judgment has to be for a specified amount of money, for costs, or a denial of all relief, and it has to wrap up every claim in the case, including any counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim. Miss either condition — say, the settlement includes an injunction, or a counterclaim is still pending — and the judgment has to go to a judge instead of the clerk. The split exists because clerks can process routine, fully-resolved money judgments without a judge's involvement, but anything more complicated needs judicial sign-off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a consent judgment always need a judge's signature?
No. If the judgment is for a specified amount of money, for costs, or denies all relief, and it resolves every claim in the case, the clerk may enter it without the case going before a judge.
What if the settlement includes something other than money, like an injunction?
Then the clerk cannot enter it. Rule 2-612 limits clerk entry to judgments for a specified sum of money, costs, or a denial of all relief. Anything else has to be entered by the court.
Can the clerk enter a consent judgment if a counterclaim is still pending?
No. The judgment must adjudicate all of the claims for relief in the action — the original claim and any counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim — before the clerk can enter it.
Is this a new rule or does it carry over older Maryland practice?
It's new. The source note for Rule 2-612 states the rule has no predecessor in the earlier rules.
Source & verification. Rule text, Committee Note, Source note, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Maryland Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Maryland. Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: consent judgment marylandjudgment by agreementagreed judgment circuit courtclerk entered judgment by consentstipulated judgment