More likely Amaral asking for a settlement. Bearing in mind that only The Plaintiff can ask for a postponement. If The McCanns wished to end it they only had to withdraw.
Withdrawing would look very bad though, wouldn't it ?
Much more likely that they would rather present what looks like a compromised settlement to the public
They havn't said anything about Amaral approaching them for an out of court settlement, have they ? ... they almost certainly would have done if that had been the case, I think
But why would any defendant ever contemplate a request from the plaintiffs to settle out of court?
It would be a direct admission from the plaintiff that they did not believe their case held water.
Surely at that point a defendant who wanted to clear his name would want to go to court?
And in the case of Mr Amaral isn't there something lurking in the background, a further reason why he would not want to settle behind closed doors? Isn't he quoted as saying that he has got some kind of ace which he is going to reveal in court? Or is that just another myth in this case?
I think it is important to realise who the lawyer is for Mr Amaral in this case now and what direct links he has to certain Portuguese media outlets. What we read in the press, even the Portuguese press, is not always related to the truth of the matter.