---
id: KB-CF-008
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/use-cases-by-capability/responding-to-a-dispute
idioma: en
categoria: casos-por-funcionalidad
audiencia: usuario
nivel: intermedio
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-TZ-002, KB-SC-004]
citadoPor: [KB-CS-008]
---

# Responding to a dispute

_Gather in one afternoon what proves your side, with its dates._

**Responde a:** prove we delivered on time · a client dispute what evidence do i have · retrieve a case history · prepare documentation for litigation

In a dispute what is argued is almost never what a document says: it is when it was known, who accepted it, and whether what you are showing now is what existed then. All three are answered with dates.

1. **Gather the sequence, not loose documents** — What was asked, what was delivered, what was approved, in what order. The sequence is the argument.
2. **Check the dates are trustworthy** — A date you set yourselves is worth less than one certified by a third party.
3. **Export with the trail** — A document without its delivery record is half the proof.

## What usually settles it

| What is argued | What closes it |
| --- | --- |
| "You never told us" | The send and open records |
| "That is not what we signed" | Verification of the signed document |
| "You delivered late" | The delivery date, set by the system |
| "We did not approve it" | The approval record, with name and time |

> [!IMPORTANT]
> Do not modify or reorganise anything once a dispute is live. Every change is logged, and a change made after the dispute always reads in the worst possible way, however innocent.

> [!NOTE]
> What helps most is usually the dullest thing: the record that an email was opened on the 4th, not the thirty-page contract.

**How long is the trail kept?**

According to your retention policy, set in the settings.

**Can I give it straight to my lawyer?**

Yes, with scoped access or a download carrying its dates.

**Is a screenshot any good?**

Not much. Anyone can make a screenshot; a verifiable document, no.

## Ejemplos

**A client claims they were never told about a cost overrun.**

- Retrieves the case sequence
- Exports the send and open record for the notice

→ The record shows it was opened on the 4th, and the claim is withdrawn before lawyers get involved.

**A client complains about a job from eight months ago and it has to be reconstructed from emails.**

- Checks the file with its complete history
- Provides what was delivered, its dates and who approved it

→ The response is prepared in an afternoon and rests on the trail, not on memory.

**It is answered from memory and a contradicting fact turns up later.**

- Checks before asserting

→ What is answered holds up.

**The complaint reaches somebody who no longer handles that client.**

- Checks who was involved and when

→ The response is prepared by whoever has the context.

**It is answered and no record remains of what was sent.**

- Records the response in the file

→ The next complaint starts from there.

**The same complaint arrives twice through different routes.**

- Checks whether it was already answered

→ The client receives a coherent response.