(a) Whenever an attorney, non-attorney representative or self-represented party states orally or in writing to the court that a particular case has been settled and that agreements will be filed, the court shall forthwith notify by mail or through electronic delivery the parties of record or their representatives of such statement, and, if the agreements and/or docket markings are not filed within thirty days after the date of mailing or electronic delivery of such notice, the court shall take such action as justice may require.
Rule 39.Settlements
Group VIII: Judgment · Last amended September 18, 2018 · Last verified July 14, 2026
In one sentenceRule 39 requires the court to notify the parties once it's told a case has settled, gives them 30 days to file the settlement papers before the court acts on its own, and blocks execution or a final order until the record is complete.
Full Text of Rule 39
(b) In order that the court may seasonably make up and complete the court's record, the parties shall seasonably file all papers and documents necessary to make up and enter the judgment and to complete the record of the case and no execution shall issue, or final order or decree be entered, until such papers are filed.
Amendment History
Adopted May 22, 2013, eff. October 1, 2013; amended September 24, 2013, eff. October 1, 2013; July 13, 2018, eff. September 18, 2018.
2018: The 2018 amendment, in (a), added "or through electronic delivery," and substituted "date of mailing or electronic delivery" for "mailing."
2013: Subdivision (c): Repealed.
Plain-English Summary
Once an attorney, non-attorney representative, or self-represented party tells the court, orally or in writing, that a case has settled and that agreements will be filed, the court must notify the parties of record or their representatives, by mail or electronic delivery, of that statement. If the agreements or docket markings aren't filed within 30 days of that notice, the court takes whatever action justice requires.
The rule also makes clear that the case record has to be complete before anything final happens: the parties must promptly file all the papers needed to enter judgment and complete the case record, and no execution can issue and no final order or decree can enter until those papers are on file. A 2013 amendment repealed a former subdivision (c); the current rule runs from (a) to (b).
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens when I tell the court my case has settled?
The court notifies the parties of record or their representatives, by mail or electronic delivery, that a settlement has been reported and that agreements will be filed.
How long do we have to file the settlement papers?
Thirty days from the date the court mails or electronically delivers its notice of the settlement statement. If the agreements or docket markings aren't filed by then, the court takes whatever action justice requires.
Can a case be closed on the docket without an entered judgment?
No. The rule bars execution from issuing and bars a final order or decree from entering until the parties have filed the papers needed to complete the record and enter judgment.
What was subdivision (c) of Rule 39?
A 2013 amendment repealed subdivision (c). The rule now consists of subdivisions (a) and (b) only.
Can settlement notice be given electronically instead of by mail?
Yes. A 2018 amendment added electronic delivery as an option alongside mail, both for the court's notice to the parties and for measuring the 30-day filing period.
Source & verification. Rule text, official Comments, and amendment
history are reproduced verbatim from the New Hampshire Superior Court Civil Rules, adopted
by the New Hampshire Supreme Court. Last verified July 14, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: notice of settlement NHsettlement filing deadline superior court30 day settlement ruleclosing a settled casedocket markings after settlement