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 Washington State, an agreed case, also known as a stipulated facts case, is a legal procedure where all parties involved in a lawsuit concur on the factual aspects of the case but seek a judicial determination on the legal questions presented. This process allows the parties to bypass the need for a trial to establish the facts and instead focus on the legal interpretation. The parties prepare a narrative statement of the agreed facts and submit this along with their legal arguments to the court. If the decision of the court is appealed, the narrative statement of the agreed facts is sent directly to the appellate court, such as the Washington Court of Appeals. This differs from the usual appellate process where the trial court record, including a transcript of the trial proceedings, is reviewed by the appellate court. The agreed case procedure is outlined in the Washington Rules of Court and is intended for situations where a trial to establish the facts is unnecessary due to the parties' agreement.