Surely, two parties can settle a civil case in Germany. Otherwise every dispute between two neighbors over a fence would end up taking up the court's time when

Surely, two parties can settle a civil case in Germany. Otherwise every dispute between two neighbors over a fence would end up taking up the court's time when they are perfectly capable of agreeing to a solution. Two seconds of Google research suggest that settlements are possible: https://books.google.com/books?id=zZoibg8oR1QC&pg=PA132&lpg=PA132&dq=germany+out+of+court+settlement&source=bl&ots=4_lrCM9oBO&sig=symVw-nXxvPwJsLa_sKmbDx_f4k&hl=en&sa=X&ei=a7z4VMigII_ZoATM64HQBQ&ved=0CCoQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=germany%20out%20of%20court%20settlement&f=false https://books.google.com/books?id=zZoibg8oR1QC&pg=PA132&lpg=... You might mean plea bargaining, which is more of a US-centric feature, but that's only applicable to criminal cases. This is a civil suit between two parties.