Why is it these corporate penalties are always called "settlements," not "sentences," we wonder

G.M. Inquiry Said to Find Criminal Wrongdoing - NYTimes.com

"A settlement could be reached as soon as this summer.…

"G.M.’s eagerness to resolve the investigation — a strategy that sets it apart from Toyota, which fought prosecutors — is expected to earn it so-called cooperation credit, one of the people said. That credit could translate into a somewhat smaller penalty than if G.M. had declined to cooperate."

Awwww.