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How to find a Justice Department settlement

Last checked: 22 October 2026 · How resolutions work

Start with the Justice Department's news search, which filters releases by keyword, date, component, topic and year 1. The Justice Manual says corporate criminal resolution agreements will be published absent exceptional circumstances 2. Court filings, including plea agreements and charging documents, are on PACER, the federal courts' records system 3. For securities cases, the SEC lists litigation releases on its civil actions in federal court 4. Read the agreement, not only the release.
DOJ releases
justice.gov/news, with keyword, date, component, topic and year filters 1
DOJ archive
Items published before 20 January 2025 are noted as being in the archives 1
Corporate criminal agreements
Published on the DOJ website absent exceptional circumstances 2
FCPA policy declinations
"Declinations under this Policy will be made public" 5
Federal court records
PACER, pacer.uscourts.gov 3
SEC civil actions
SEC Litigation Releases, back to 1995 4

Step 1: the press release

The Justice Department's All News page has a keyword search, start and end date fields, and filters by component, topic and year 1. Results can be sorted by relevance or date 1. The page notes that items published before 20 January 2025 are in the archives 1.

Search the company name with words such as "settlement", "deferred prosecution agreement", "plea" or "False Claims Act". Filter by component to separate the Civil Division, the Criminal Division and individual U.S. Attorney's Offices 1.

Step 2: what to copy from the release

Record these items from the release, and check each against the agreement where one is published 2.

  • The resolution type: civil settlement, NPA, DPA, plea or declination 2.
  • The total amount and any breakdown. The Boeing release of 7 January 2021, for example, split over US$2.5 billion into a criminal penalty, customer compensation and a victims' fund 6.
  • The liability or admission sentence, quoted exactly. A 24 January 2025 civil settlement release said: "The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability." 7
  • The statute, the court and the case number, if given 6.
  • The date and the agencies named 1.

Step 3: the agreement and court filings

The Justice Manual says that absent exceptional circumstances, corporate criminal resolution agreements will be published on the Department's website 2. Under Justice Manual 9-47.120, declinations under the Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy will be made public 5.

Criminal informations, plea agreements and DPAs filed in court sit on the docket. PACER "provides information about accessing and filing federal court records electronically" 3. Registration options include a "Case Search Only" account 3. PACER charges fees, and its site lists a "Temporary Fee Increase Effective Jan. 1, 2027" 3. Check the PACER pricing page for current rates before searching 3.

Step 4: SEC and UK records

For a parallel SEC case, use the SEC Litigation Releases page, which lists "litigation releases concerning civil actions brought by the Commission in federal court" 4. It can be searched by text and filtered by year and month back to 1995 4. Settled administrative orders are on the SEC's Administrative Proceedings page in the same section 4.

For a UK DPA, the prosecutor must publish the agreement and related court decisions, subject to any postponement ordered by the court 8.

Common errors

  • Calling a civil settlement a finding of guilt. A release may say the claims are allegations only 7.
  • Calling admitted facts in a DPA allegations only. Quote what the company admitted in court documents 6.
  • Relying on the company statement alone. Label it "company statement" and set it beside the official release.
  • Missing later events. Check the court docket for filings made after the release 3.

Common questions

Where can I read a DOJ deferred prosecution agreement?

On the Justice Department website, where corporate criminal resolution agreements are published absent exceptional circumstances 2, or on the court docket through PACER 3.

Are old DOJ press releases still online?

Yes. The DOJ news page notes that items published before 20 January 2025 are in the archives 1.

How do I find an SEC settlement?

Search the SEC Litigation Releases page for federal court actions and the Administrative Proceedings page for settled orders 4.

Is PACER free?

No. PACER charges fees and has announced a temporary fee increase effective 1 January 2027 3.

Rules and fees change. Check the official site linked above before you apply or pay. Spotted an error? Email hello@settlementsexplained.org with the official link.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Justice: All News search page
  2. U.S. Department of Justice: Justice Manual 9-28.000, Principles of Federal Prosecution of Business Organizations (page modified 22 January 2026)
  3. Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts: PACER, Public Access to Court Electronic Records
  4. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission: Litigation Releases
  5. U.S. Department of Justice: Justice Manual 9-47.000, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (9-47.120 updated January 2025)
  6. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs: press release 21-17 on Boeing deferred prosecution agreement (7 January 2021)
  7. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs: press release on Pfizer False Claims Act settlement (24 January 2025)
  8. legislation.gov.uk: Crime and Courts Act 2013, Schedule 17, Deferred prosecution agreements

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