Settlement on Dispute-Can I still sue civil

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone could help me. I had a setlement on litigation with a car dealership. They took my trade and did not honor the trade with my previous bank. I sued them in court and eventually settled. The dealership paid the book value of the car, which was considerably less for what I financed to pay the note on the new car. This happened in January 2005, found out they would not pay for the trade in March 2005 and began litigation a month later when I had the funds to retain a lawyer. My lawyer left the region and moved very far away in the year we settled (a few months ago). I did not know that they moved. I felt under duress to do it and really wanted it to go to court in front of a judge. I know, I made my decisions and oculd have made another choice.
The deal was made in Masachusetts, but I live in RI. My question is that can I sue for damages in civil court? Is there a statue of limitations on this? What are the chances a judge would award damages after the settlement was made? My lawyer said that I could try for a civil suit, but there would not be enough time. Do I need a lawyer to do this? Should I undergo this anyway or forget about it?

You can sue for failure to abide by the settlement agreement, but normally cannot sue over the issues that were the subject of the settlement.