Final answer:
A legal resolution where Clint and the Car Care Specialists agree that he will pay less than the billed amount is called a settlement. Often involving compromise, settlements can occur before or after court proceedings begin. Option(d) is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
If Clint contests the amount of a bill he received from Car Care Specialists and they reach an agreement that Clint will pay less, the legal term that describes this resolution is d) Settlement. A settlement is an agreement reached between contending parties over a legal dispute, either before or after judicial action is initiated. The term is commonly used to describe the action of resolving a dispute or disagreement, often involving some compromise where each party gives up some demands to meet somewhere in the middle and agree on an amount that Clint will pay.
Arbitration (a) and mediation (b) are alternative dispute resolution methods, but they differ from settlement. In arbitration, a neutral third party (arbitrator) makes a decision after considering the arguments and evidence presented by each side. Mediation involves a neutral mediator assisting the parties in reaching their own agreement, but the mediator does not impose a decision.
Litigation (c) refers to the formal legal process where disputes are resolved in court through a judge's decision or a jury verdict. Settlement, on the other hand, occurs outside of the formal litigation process through negotiation and agreement between the parties.