In order to resolve a personal injury tort claim, a defendant can offer a structured settlement in the form of a single premium annuity which would require a single deposit, or a flexible premium annuity which would require multiple contributions.
In Anglo-American jurisdictions the term is most commonly used to refer to a type of tort lawsuit in which the person bringing the suit (the "claimant" in English Law or "plaintiff" in American jurisdictions) has suffered harm to his or her body or mind. A structured settlement is a negotiated financial or insurance arrangement through which a claimant agrees to resolve a personal injury tort claim by receiving part or all of a settlement in the form of periodic payments on an agreed schedule, rather than as a lump sum. As part of the negotiations, a structured settlement may be offered by the defendant or requested by the plaintiff. Often the periodic payments will be funded through the purchase of one or more annuities, that generate the future payments. A tort, in common law jurisdiction, is a civil wrong (other than breach of contract) that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law involves claims in an action seeking to obtain a private civil remedy, typically money damages. Modern torts are heavily affected by insurance and insurance law, as most cases are settled through claims adjustment rather than by trial, and are defended by insurance lawyers, with the insurance policy, a deep pocket limit, setting a ceiling on the possible payment. An annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals. The payments (deposits) may be made weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, or at any other regular interval of time. 
