The settlement negotiations were heated just before oral argument was scheduled but fell apart. Then the lawyers went into court and argued why the decision should be heeded or not. That decision is pending before the appellate court. So this settlement means the appellate court will not have to decide this case. I have seen cases settled while the jury is deliberating on the verdict.
Negotiations continue throughout the pendancy of a case and even into the trial.
The fact that it took this long to settle isn't unusual. It's the history of the case that's perhaps so unusual. That after so much discovery, the judge ultimately dismissed it. Saying that she didn't see a cause for sexual harassment. So this is not unusual in a civil case in terms of the negotiation time.