Confidential Listener Law and Legal Definition
Confidential listener means a third-party neutral to whom the parties submit their confidential settlement positions. A confidential listener will inform the parties about whether their positions are within a negotiable range without disclosing each party’s confidential offer to the other. When the parties submit their dispute to a confidential listener the parties agree that if the proposed settlement figures overlap with the figure that is cited by the other party then they will settle the dispute at a level that splits the difference. If the proposed settlement figure is within the specified range of both the parties then a confidential listener will inform the matter to the parties so that negotiations can be conducted to lower the gap. The process of submitting to a confidential listener can be repeated if the submitted numbers are not within the set range.
