Saint-Gobain Industrial Ceramics Inc. v. CRC Crystal Research Corp.

*128 MEMORANDUM *

CRC Crystal Research Corp. appeals the district court’s order construing the parties’ September 11, 2002 oral settlement agreement as including a “mutual release” that was intended to and specifically did “release ... any claims CRC may believe it presently has for patent infringement.” CRC contends it did not agree to release any such patent claims, pointing to the express reservation of its rights in the consent injunction included as part of the September 10, 2002 settlement agreement between Saint-Gobain Industrial Ceramics, Inc. (SGIC) and the other defendants, including Optoscint Inc.

Both counsels’ articulation of the settlement agreement before the district court on September 11, 2002 was ambiguous as to the nature and scope of releases between the parties, and the district court attempted to resolve those ambiguities in a sensible fashion. Ordinarily, we defer to the district court’s decision whether to enforce a settlement and accept its findings of fact in that regard unless they are clearly erroneous. See Graham v. Balcor Co., 146 F.3d 1052, 1054 (9th Cir.1998); Ahern v. Cent. Pac. Freight Lines, 846 F.2d 47 , 48 (9th Cir.1988). However, this is not…