Common questions
Plain answers about the current limited pilot. The recorded consent and Rules for a case control over this general website summary.
Do I need an attorney?
The People’s Court process does not require a lawyer to open or answer a case. Arbitration is a formal legal process, though, and we cannot advise either side. You may want independent counsel if the dispute affects important rights, involves regulated parties, or may need court enforcement.
Are awards legally binding?
The process is designed for parties who validly agree to binding arbitration. A written arbitration agreement may be enforceable under the Federal Arbitration Act when the statute and the transaction fit, and an eligible award may be confirmed by a court. That is not automatic: enforceability depends on the actual consent, scope, seat and jurisdiction, procedure, award, and applicable law. The service does not guarantee recognition or enforcement in every case.
Does the other side have to agree?
Yes. The forum verifies consent from both parties before reaching the merits. The cleanest path is to put a reviewed arbitration clause in the contract before a dispute arises; parties can also agree after a dispute, where appropriate. Missing or defective consent means the tribunal declines the case.
How does the AI make the decision?
The assigned AI tribunal receives a frozen written record, applies the governing contract or rules, and produces a reasoned opinion. Deterministic checks test the award’s arithmetic, record traceability, and remedial limits. During the current pilot, a qualified human reviewer must review and sign every decision before it is served.
Can the parties demand discovery or depositions?
The current product is a written, record-bound process and does not provide an ordinary party-to-party discovery or deposition workflow. Each side submits its own filings and evidence on a visible schedule. The Rules allow the Tribunal or Reviewer to direct focused, proportionate production when the existing record is not sufficient to resolve a material issue fairly. That focused-production workflow is not yet available in the current pilot, so a matter that needs it may be held or escalated instead. The governing Rules control in every case.
What happens if one side does not participate?
A case cannot proceed to default unless service is established. After valid notice, a missed deadline does not count as an admission or an automatic loss. The tribunal decides only on the record before it, and the claimant still carries the burden of proof.
Does an award automatically move money?
Only when the case is connected to a configured settlement or escrow rail, the available action matches the award, and every review and execution safeguard passes. Otherwise the decision records the stated obligation but does not itself transfer funds.
What kinds of disputes are supported now?
The limited pilot is intended for documented business, professional, marketplace, escrow, and agent-to-agent disputes. It is not currently intended for consumer, employment, family, housing, criminal, or other disputes involving rights that cannot lawfully be submitted to this process.
Evaluating the forum for your contracts?
Start with the clause, then bring us the actual workflow.
For the operative procedure, read the Rules. For the current service boundaries, read the Terms.