legal

GoFundNode — Dispute Path

Superseded by ADR-046 (2026-06-03). This document reflects the prior crypto-first posture, which is no longer GA scope. See ADR-046.

TEMPLATE — REQUIRES RETAINED COUNSEL REVIEW BEFORE PRODUCTION USE. NOT LEGAL ADVICE.

Effective date: TBD upon counsel sign-off.
Document owner: JuiceVendor Labs inc. (operating the GoFundNode service).
Source-of-truth: docs/architecture/GOFUNDNODE_ADRS.md, CLAUDE.md, §14.7 of the Legal Handoff, docs/legal/terms/CUSTOMER_TOS.md §10, docs/legal/terms/OPERATOR_CONTRACTOR_AGREEMENT.md §12.

1. Premise (§14.7 — load-bearing)

The Platform's funding rail is Solana mainnet (USDC + SOL). On-chain transactions are irreversible by design. There is no chargeback mechanism analogous to a credit card dispute, and there will not be one (the Platform does not operate a fiat rail; see docs/ADR/no-stripe.md).

This irreversibility shapes the entire dispute resolution structure:

The remedy for a service issue is a service credit, not a money refund. Unconsumed credits are refundable (TOS §4.1) because no service was delivered. Consumed credits where the service issue occurred yield a service-credit rebate against future submissions — not a refund of the on-chain payment that funded the credits.
The honest articulation of this trade-off is required. Customers should not be told that they have refund rights they do not have. The TOS, this document, and any customer-facing dispute messaging must clearly state that the rail is on-chain and the remedy is service-credit-based.

§14.7 is the architectural posture; this document is its operational form.

2. Tenant disputes

2.1 Level 1 — automatic service credit

For typed Platform-side failures, the Platform issues an automatic service credit (rebate) against the affected actualCredits without requiring the tenant to file a ticket. The trigger conditions are:

Typed failure	Rebate
`at_capacity` returned on submission attempt	0 credits debited (no charge for a rejected submission).
`scheduler_recovering` on dispatch attempt	0 credits debited.
`capacity_failure` mid-execution (Platform inability to find a node)	100% rebate of `actualCredits` charged (which should be 0 in this path; the rebate exists for accounting completeness).
`node_failure` mid-execution where no commit point was reached	100% rebate of `actualCredits`.
Successful dispatch but documented missed p95 SLA	25% rebate of `actualCredits` (per submission affected).

The rebate is credited to the tenant aggregate balance within 24 hours of the affected lease's terminal status reaching settlement.

2.2 Level 2 — operations review

For (a) contested actualCredits charges, (b) disputed missed-SLA classifications, or (c) other issues not falling within Level 1's typed triggers, the tenant opens a ticket via the support address (support@gofundnode.com) including:

Submission ID(s) at issue.
Description of the issue.
Requested remedy.

The Platform's operations team responds within 5 business days with a determination. Determinations include a citation to the rebate matrix above or to the relevant ADR / TOS provision.

2.3 Level 3 — arbitration

For unresolved disputes above EUR 25,000 in dispute amount or where Levels 1–2 do not produce a determination acceptable to both parties:

Forum. Arbitration Court of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tallinn.
Substantive law. Estonia, unless the parties otherwise agree in writing.
Language. English.
Number of arbitrators. One, unless the dispute amount exceeds EUR 250,000.
Confidentiality. The arbitration is confidential.

2.4 What is NOT a tenant remedy

No cash refund for consumed credits. The rail is on-chain; the remedy is service-credit-based.
No chargeback. There is no chargeback mechanism; tenants accepting these Terms acknowledge the rail's irreversibility.
No class action where waived. Tenants accept the individual-arbitration clause to the extent enforceable.
No equity-style relief from the dispute path itself — though either party retains the right to seek injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction for IP, confidentiality, or sanctions matters (TOS §10.4).

3. Operator disputes

3.1 Level 1 — automatic ledger re-check

For reward-not-credited or reward-misclassified disputes, the operator triggers a ledger re-check from the master-node dispute UI. The Platform re-runs the settlement calculation against the canonical JobLedger and adjusts within 24 hours. If the calculation matches, the Platform replies with the calculation breakdown.

3.2 Level 2 — F-tier appeal

For F-tier classification appeals (Operator Agreement §4), the operator has a 14-day appeal window between the freeze notice and the final determination. During the appeal:

The pending earnings remain frozen but not forfeited.
The operator may submit evidence in writing.
The Platform reviews and issues a final determination.
On final F-tier confirmation, the clawback executes per Operator Agreement §4.3 and residuals route per DORMANCY_POLICY.md.

3.3 Level 3 — sanctions block contest

For OFAC SDN block contests, the operator is referred to OFAC-licensed counsel with a documented referral list. The Platform provides:

The screening evidence that triggered the block (to the extent permitted by sanctions law).
Cooperation with any OFAC license application the operator's counsel files.

Sanctions blocks are not subject to arbitration with the Platform; they are subject to the sanctions-law process with the relevant authority.

3.4 Level 4 — arbitration

For unresolved operator disputes above EUR 5,000:

Same forum and substantive law as §2.3.
The arbitration agreement is enforceable under FAA + Estonia seat under New York Convention.
Where the operator is a U.S. consumer-protection-law beneficiary and the arbitration clause might be unenforceable on those grounds, the operator may proceed in the small-claims court of their home jurisdiction (this carve-out preserves enforceability under FAA caselaw).

4. Applicant disputes (allocated to the tenant)

4.1 Applicants have no direct dispute path with the Platform. The Platform's relationship is with tenants; applicant PII processing is allocated to the tenant as controller (DPA §2 / ADR-042 / D-7).

4.2 Applicants raise disputes with apply.fun (or the relevant tenant), which is the controller and the consumer-facing party.

4.3 The Platform honors tenant-as-controller documented instructions per the DPA. If the tenant instructs the Platform to delete a particular applicant's data, the Platform performs the deletion within 30 days subject to legal-retention exceptions.

4.4 If an applicant contacts the Platform directly, the Platform forwards the contact to the tenant and informs the applicant that the tenant is the responsible party.

5. Cross-cutting rules

5.1 Good-faith resolution priority

Each party agrees to use good faith to resolve disputes at the earliest level. Bypassing Level 1 to demand arbitration for a typed-failure rebate the Platform would have automatically issued is not a good-faith dispute.

5.2 No tolling of statute of limitations

Engaging Levels 1–2 does not toll any applicable statute of limitations on the dispute.

5.3 Confidentiality

Dispute records are confidential per the Customer TOS confidentiality clause / Operator Agreement confidentiality clause, except as required for sanctions reporting, regulatory inquiry, or court order.

5.4 No retaliation

The Platform shall not retaliate against an operator or tenant for engaging the dispute path in good faith.

6. Operational implementation

6.1 The L1 (double-entry ledger) lane is responsible for the schema that records rebates, dispute determinations, and clawbacks.

6.2 The L2 (sanctions) lane is responsible for the screening determinations that trigger §3.3.

6.3 The L4 (GDPR / sovereignty) lane is responsible for the data-residency aspects of dispute records.

6.4 This document and the GA Gate Checklist Tier 1 item govern when the operational path is considered live.

7. References

CLAUDE.md §1 (compliance defends the product; honest articulation of remedies).
docs/CREDIT-SYSTEM.md (settlement and rebate accounting).
docs/ADR/no-stripe.md (rail choice — no fiat, no chargeback).
docs/architecture/GOFUNDNODE_ADRS.md:
- ADR-027 (credit blocks)
- ADR-028 (side-effecting tasks; commit point)
- ADR-032 (point-of-no-return)
- ADR-038 (sanctions)
docs/legal/terms/CUSTOMER_TOS.md §10.
docs/legal/terms/OPERATOR_CONTRACTOR_AGREEMENT.md §12.
docs/legal/terms/DORMANCY_POLICY.md (residual routing).
docs/legal/COUNSEL_QUESTIONS.md §12.9 (arbitration enforceability).
§14.7 of the Legal Handoff (binding architectural posture).

END — TEMPLATE — REQUIRES RETAINED COUNSEL REVIEW BEFORE PRODUCTION USE. NOT LEGAL ADVICE.