So I reached out to my friend John DeGroote of Settlement Perspectives, a former in-house counsel and Chief Legal Officer who knew far more about corporate interests than I ever would.

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Since the deal was announced, many other investors in the mortgage-backed securities it covers, like American International Group, have objected in court to the settlement, including a large number of investors who raced to the court house at the end of August to submit their disapproval before a deadline.

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Congress and the White House expect to spend some of the money from a tobacco settlement on social programs.

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The expectation is that these are slam dunks and that the in-house legal staff appreciates the need to accept a reasonable offer of settlement.

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