The appeals mechanism is designed to protect members against abuse of power by officers. It is managed by the Justice Team which is part of the Order of Vetus Praesidio.
Most Strikes that are deemed unfair or an abuse of power may be appealed by an affected member or ex-member. No one can appeal on behalf of the affected member or ex-member.
- Any strike that is clearly designated with a "cannot be appealed" tag
- Strikes that occurred more 60 days ago
In the rare event you receive a strike in error (for example, wrong person), contact your chain of command to have it removed.
Blacklist appeals are handled differently to Strikes. There are two ways they are processed:
Blacklists due to strikes that occurred less than 60 days ago are treated as a "Strike Appeal", see above.
Blacklists due to strikes that occurred longer than 60 days ago are treated as a "Blacklist Appeal", and are reviewed on:
- their sincerity
- whether the ex-member takes responsibility for what they did
- whether the ex-member is truly remorseful for their past actions
- whether the ex-member poses a risk to Damage Inc or is likely to re-offend if permitted to return
- the length of time that has elapsed since the blacklist had taken place
The Justice Committee does not vote on "Blacklist Appeals", because generally they are from ex-members who have:
- admitted guilt, and/or
- did not appeal within the required 60 days, and/or
- were unsuccessful in their initial "Strike Appeal" within the 60 days,
Which means there is no need to determine if "abuse of power" has occurred, and therefore the Leader rank holds sole decision authority over a "Blacklist Appeal".
In the event of a successfully appealed blacklist, a Justice Ruling will be issued:
- Upon graduation, member must successfully complete 6 months of Probation.
- Any behavioral strikes will result in removal from Damage Inc.
- Failing to complete Probation will result in a re-instated ban.
The terms may vary in certain situations.
To lodge an appeal click here.
- Fill out the form with as much detail as possible and include all evidence you have or witnesses
- Clicking "send" will send a message to the Justice Committee who will commence processing and vote on a decision
- You will be informed of the outcome via e-mail or forum PM
All rulings are final and unsuccessful appeals (including Blacklist Appeals) cannot be appealed again. An exception to this is if new evidence has come to light that may change the decision.
The Justice Team is empowered to:
- Upgrade or Downgrade a Strike to a lesser or more serious version, based on evidence presented
- Investigate any "Strike Appeal" further, including summoning members or officers for questions or information
- Remove Strikes that meet certain conditions, as part of their voted decision (see below)
The Justice Committee will review every "Strike Appeal" to determine if any of the following circumstances occurred:
- Whether the Striking Officer abused their power
- Whether the Strike received matches the misconduct performed
- Whether the there is sufficient evidence to support the Strike
During the course of a Justice investigation a member may be called upon to answer questions or provide information to determine the facts surrounding an appeal.
- Respond to requests for information or questions within 48 hours (unless on Away)
- Keep any information surrounding the appeal private
- Not discuss any active appeal with any other member
- Be honest and provide as much detail as possible to the Justice Committee when requested as part of an investigation
- Not attempt to influence or coerce a Justice Officer to affect the outcome of an appeal
- Not harass, flame or discredit Justice Officers if an appeal was unsuccessful