Dispute Resolution

Purpose of Dispute Resolution

This page defines the deterministic framework used to analyze and resolve disputes without altering historical records. Dispute resolution is treated as a verification process over existing evidence, not a mechanism for discretionary outcome changes.

Scope of Disputable Events

Only events that produce observable state transitions are eligible for dispute analysis. These include settlement entries, balance changes, execution outcomes, and reconciliation results. Events outside the settlement system are explicitly out of scope.

Evidence-Based Resolution Model

All dispute evaluation relies on immutable system artifacts, including ledger entries, execution records, and reconciliation checkpoints. No external testimony or inferred intent is used to determine outcomes.

Deterministic Evaluation Process

Disputes are evaluated by replaying the original event sequence against the same validation rules used during initial settlement. If replay produces the same result, the original outcome is confirmed. Divergence indicates a processing exception rather than an interpretive disagreement.

Separation Between Review and Correction

Dispute review does not directly modify historical records. If correction is required, it is performed through explicit compensating entries that reference the original events, preserving a complete and auditable causal chain.

Bounded Authority and System Limits

The dispute mechanism cannot override settlement rules, bypass invariants, or invent new states. Its authority is limited to classification, confirmation, or generation of corrective entries that follow predefined system constraints.

Replayability and Audit Implications

All dispute outcomes remain replayable from raw records. Independent evaluators can reproduce both the original dispute context and the resolution path without access to privileged system knowledge.

Defined Non-Goals

This framework does not define customer communication workflows, legal adjudication, or policy negotiation. It specifies only the system-level logic required to resolve disputes deterministically and transparently.

Scope and Dependencies

This page is a derivative specification within GMG Engine. It does not define or redefine core primitives such as settlement, determinism, finality, proof, or exception handling. All authoritative definitions are inherited from the locked GMG Engine core primitives.

Related Core Primitives

This page depends on the authoritative definitions established in: Deterministic Outcomes, Settlement Ledger Format, Settlement Finality, Transaction Proof.