The Court
Laws & Articles
The rules governing every case filed on Kirkie's Island. Judges and juries rule based on these Articles.
Article 1
Filing a Case
Any member may file a case against any other member. The filer must state their claim clearly. Filing a case in bad faith (as a joke with no real dispute) may be dismissed by staff before it reaches a judge.
Article 2
The Respondent's Right to Respond
The respondent must be notified and given the chance to confirm their side before a case goes active. A case cannot proceed to judgment with only one side heard, unless the respondent ignores the case for 48+ hours after being notified.
Article 3
Right to Counsel
Either party may choose a lawyer to represent them, or represent themselves. A lawyer may decline to take a case. A self-represented party is not treated less favorably for lacking counsel.
Article 4
Right to a Judge and Jury
Every active case is assigned one judge and a jury of the remaining judges. The judge rules; jurors may advise but the judge's verdict is final unless overturned on appeal.
Article 5
Judge Recusal
A judge with a personal conflict of interest (close friendship, ongoing beef, or direct involvement) with either party must decline the case. Declining reassigns it to the next available judge.
Article 6
Impartiality of the Bench
A judge or juror must rule based on the facts presented, not personal opinion of the parties involved. Verdicts made out of favoritism may be challenged and reviewed by the owner.
Article 7
Verbal Contracts
A verbal agreement between two or more members is legally binding in this court, provided there were two (2) or more witnesses present at the time the agreement was made who can confirm its terms. A verbal agreement with fewer than two witnesses is treated as an unproven claim and carries no binding weight on its own.
Article 8
Written Contracts
A written agreement (DMs, messages, screenshots) is binding regardless of witnesses, provided it is not edited or fabricated. Fabricated evidence voids the case entirely against the party who submitted it.
Article 9
Burden of Proof
The filer bears the burden of proving their claim. If the evidence is inconclusive or it is one word against another with no witnesses or evidence, the case defaults in favor of the respondent.
Article 10
Submitting Evidence
Evidence may be submitted as screenshots, DM/text logs, or other records directly attached to the case file. Evidence must be relevant to the claim; irrelevant evidence may be disregarded by the judge.
Article 11
Tampering With Evidence
Editing, staging, or fabricating evidence submitted to a case is grounds for immediate loss of the case and may result in staff action outside the court.
Article 12
Confidentiality of Evidence
Evidence submitted to a case is visible only to the parties involved, their lawyers, and the assigned judge and jury. It is not to be shared outside the case without consent of the party who submitted it.
Article 13
Case Withdrawal
A filer may withdraw a case before a verdict is reached, provided the respondent has not yet confirmed their side. Once both sides are confirmed, withdrawal requires the respondent's agreement or a judge's approval.
Article 14
Default Judgment
If a respondent fails to respond to a confirmed case within a reasonable time after being notified, the judge may rule in the filer's favor by default.
Article 15
Draws and Dismissals
A judge may rule a draw when both sides share fault, or dismiss a case entirely when it lacks merit, is a duplicate, or falls outside the court's scope (real-world matters, off-server disputes).
Article 16
Scope of the Court
This court has authority only over disputes between members related to the server: trades, promises, conduct, events, and community disagreements. It has no authority over matters outside the server.
Article 17
AI Assistance
Lawyers, judges, and jurors may consult the AI assistant on a case for help understanding statements or preparing questions. The AI's output is a tool, not evidence, and carries no binding weight on the verdict.
Article 18
Polishing Statements
Parties may use the AI to clean up grammar and structure in their statements. This may not be used to add, remove, or alter facts — only to make an existing statement more readable.
Article 19
Right to Decline
A judge or lawyer assigned to a case may decline it for any reason. Declining reassigns the role rather than delaying or dismissing the case.
Article 20
One Case at a Time
A member should not file duplicate cases over the same dispute. A duplicate filing may be merged into the original or dismissed at staff discretion.
Article 21
Verdict Reasoning
A judge's verdict must include reasoning, not just a winner. A verdict without reasoning may be challenged and sent back for review.
Article 22
Appeals
A party who believes a verdict was reached unfairly (bias, ignored evidence, procedural error) may request the owner review the case. The owner's review is final.
Article 23
Public Record
All case titles, statements, verdicts, and case logs are public once filed, except private evidence per Article 12. Cases are not deleted after resolution and remain part of the public record.
Article 24
Conduct During a Case
Parties, lawyers, judges, and jurors are expected to remain respectful throughout a case. Harassment, brigading, or pressuring a judge/jury outside the case page may result in the case being voided and staff action.
Article 25
Amendments
These Articles may be added to, amended, or repealed by the server owner at any time. Changes apply to future cases; cases already resolved are not retroactively affected.
Article 26
Compensation Arrangements
Unless a specific pay schedule (amount, frequency, and duration) was agreed to in writing, whoever manages payouts may set or change the frequency of payment (daily, weekly, etc.) at their discretion. Changing how often payment is issued is not, by itself, a violation of any agreement.
Article 27
No Guaranteed Schedule Without Writing
A member cannot claim a specific payment schedule was owed to them unless it was explicitly agreed to in writing per Article 8. An assumed or expected schedule, without written confirmation, is not enforceable.
Article 28
Good Faith Changes
A change made in good faith to how compensation, payouts, or benefits are administered (timing, method, structure) is not grounds for a case on its own, provided the total amount owed is still paid in full.
Article 29
Statute of Limitations
A case must be filed within 30 days of the incident it concerns. Claims filed after that window may be dismissed as stale, unless the delay itself was caused by the respondent (e.g. avoiding contact).
Article 30
Counterclaims
A respondent may raise a counterclaim against the filer within the same case, provided it is directly related to the same dispute. Unrelated grievances must be filed as a separate case.
Article 31
False Statements
Knowingly submitting a false statement to the court is treated as bad faith. If a judge determines a party lied about a material fact, the case is ruled against them regardless of the underlying dispute.
Article 32
Store & Trade Disputes
Disputes over store orders, custom orders, or trades fall under this court's jurisdiction. The order/message history on the platform is treated as primary evidence and takes precedence over verbal recollection.
Article 33
Event-Related Disputes
Disputes arising from events (no-shows, unfair elimination, prize disputes) may be filed as cases. The event's RSVP list and timeline are admissible evidence.
Article 34
Repeat Filings Against the Same Party
A member who files three or more cases against the same respondent within 30 days without success may have further filings against that respondent reviewed by staff before proceeding, to prevent harassment through the court.
Article 35
Lawyer-Client Confidentiality
Private discussion between a party and their lawyer while preparing a case is not admissible as evidence unless voluntarily shared by the party it belongs to.