As is customary in such settlements, the defendants did not acknowledge wrongdoing.

We witnessed precisely the same reaction the press is so quick to condemn in Government officials and others who adamantly refuse to acknowledge wrongdoing.

As part of the settlement the accounting firm agreed to pay a $456 million penalty, accept an independent monitor of its operations and acknowledge wrongdoing.

The department, which owns the plant, does not acknowledge wrongdoing and refers to the payments as settlement costs, not a penalty.

When a judge approves such a deal, the defendant must acknowledge criminal wrongdoing, and then prosecution is deferred for a number of years.

Mr. Stern paid $40 million in September 2003 to settle charges against him by the attorney general, though he did not acknowledge wrongdoing.

Even without issuing a formal apology, government officials have begun acknowledging wrongdoing.

In his settlement, Mr. Stern did not acknowledge wrongdoing.

Does he feel he was pushed into acknowledging wrongdoing and that this is still kind of unfair?

In reaching a settlement, Sheik Khalid did not actually acknowledge wrongdoing.