Disputed State

The disputed state is a possible, but not necessarily enforced, contract state that is caused when either of the parties violates the contract terms. The request for this transaction* is conditional, and cannot be performed if the contract already is in the executed state.

The disputed state is always preceded by the fulfilled state and followed by the executed state.

For the contract to enter a disputed state, specific conditions must be met:

• the contract due date has passed,

• the dispute action is taken by the Contractee (buyer),

• the agreed amount (funds) remains in the contract.

Note that the disputed state is not the typical state and does not happen to regular contracts. This state of the Zenland contract continues until the parties reach an agreement and/or until funds are released. Once the contract no longer holds funds, it becomes executed and is no longer able to run the command.

Both simple and escalated disputes are reviewed and resolved during the disputed state.

Important!

While at this state, the contract can be accessed by the third party - the Zenland Agent** - upon request. This is the only state of the Zenland contract that allows another party, other than the Contractee (buyer) or the Contractor (seller), involvement. All other contract states do not permit external access.

Good to know

*All blockchain transactions are processed by the nodes and require a gas fee. More on gas fees and why they exist can be found in "What is Network".

**Zenland agent is a contract-neutral third party, a verified individual who signs an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) and is trusted with the case. Read agent-assisted disputes in detail in the "Invite an Agent" chapter.