<I would say the court has to approve the DISMISSAL not the settlement.>
That can't be the case. What if one of the parties subsequently failed to live up to the settlement. No record of what settlement was. I would think settlement details must be provided to court and given OK then motions for dismissal. If the parties decide to keep details secret, that is up to them, but I think court must have the info. IMHO anyway. Opty