An agreed case is a procedure that can be used in rare situations in which the parties to a lawsuit agree on the facts and disagree on the relevant law as applied to the facts. In such a case the parties stipulate to the facts, file a narrative statement of the agreed facts, and submit the case to the court for a ruling.
If a case submitted on an agreed statement of facts is appealed, the narrative statement of facts stipulated to by the parties is filed with the appellate court (often the court of appeals) rather than the trial court record (a transcript of the trial that includes witness testimony and documents admitted in evidence).
In North Carolina, an agreed case, also known as a case submitted on an agreed statement of facts, is a legal procedure where the disputing parties concur on the factual aspects of the case but seek a judicial determination on the legal questions involved. This process allows the parties to bypass the need for a full trial by stipulating to the facts and presenting the case to a judge for a legal ruling. When such a case is appealed, the narrative statement of the agreed facts is directly filed with the appellate court, typically the North Carolina Court of Appeals. This differs from the usual appellate process where the trial court record, including transcripts and evidence, is reviewed. The agreed statement of facts serves as the factual record for the appellate court's review. This procedure is outlined in the North Carolina General Statutes and the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, which govern civil litigation in the state.