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 Michigan, 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 a narrative statement of these agreed facts to the court. The court's role is then to apply the law to these facts and make a ruling. If the decision of the court is appealed, the agreed statement of facts is directly filed with the appellate court, such as the Michigan Court of Appeals. This differs from the usual appellate process where the trial court record, including transcripts and evidence, is reviewed. The use of an agreed case is relatively uncommon and typically employed in situations where the legal issues are clear-cut and the parties seek a swift resolution without the complexities of a trial.