Article IV : The Rule Book ---------------: Section One : The LG Halo Rule Book --------: 1.1 : General Conduct --------: 1.2 : Conduct Unbecoming --------: 1.3 : Jurisdiction --------: 1.4 : Complaint or Violation Disputes ---------------: Section Two : Judicial Process --------: 2.1 : Filing Formal Complaints --------: 2.1.1 : Complaint Categories --------: 2.1.2 : Filing False Complaints --------: 2.1.3 : Providing Evidence --------: 2.1.4 : Viewing Ruling Decisions --------: 2.1.5 : Judging Complaints --------: 2.1.6 : Right To An Appeal --------: 2.1.7 : Violation Punishments --------: 2.1.8 : Time Frame for Serving A Punishment Section 1 : The LG Halo Rule Book 1.1 : General Conduct When participating as a member of the community in an LGHL sanctioned event, or on the League Gaming website, you are to show respect and sportsmanship towards other members and follow the rules at all times. 1.2 : Conduct Unbecoming Conduct unbecoming of a member may provide grounds to be charged with an Offense, as outlined in Section 2 of the Rule Book, based on sufficient evidence being provided within a filed complaint. This constitutes, but is not limited to, Blackmailing, Confessing to Breaking Rules, Causing a Panic or Riot, or Filing False League Information. In some situations the word of League official(s) who are dealing directly with the member whose conduct is in question will be taken into consideration. 1.3 : Jurisdiction LG Halo Sanctioned events are classified as any LG Halo-related interaction that take place outside of the League Gaming web site. These include, but are not limited to, LG Halo Games, Scouting Sessions, Meetings, and any other event which may be classified as representative of our community. Members do not fall under LG Halo jurisdiction at all times, but in any instance where the LG Halo brand is brought into play, we reserve the right to legislate the members of our community involved according to the standards of our Constitution. The League Staff must follow a statute of limitations. A punishment will not be issued in any situation where a violation has occurred, but has gone a period of three weeks without a complaint filed. 1.4 : Complaint or Violation Disputes Members are eligible to dispute rulings in three different ways: 1) Appeal issued via the Action Center 2) Request a meeting with staff on Xbox Live. 3) Send a PM to the Commissioner requesting information. The League reserves the right to not deal directly with a dispute until a complete 24 hours has passed after a determination has been voted on by staff. This is to protect staff from unnecessary verbal abuse. Section 2 : Judicial Process 2.1 : Filing Formal Complaints Anytime an issue occurs, it must be brought to the attention of the League’s Staff. All members of the community are recommended to file all their concerns and complaints via the LG Action Center. PMs to League Staff are also considered a form of filing a complaint. However, the League Staff cannot issue a punishment or make a determination until the formal complaint has been filed. 2.1.1 : Complaint Categories There are several categories outlined in the Action Center for complaints to be filed. (list) Please ensure when filing a complaint it is filed under the correct category. 2.1.2 : Filing False Complaints At any time a complaint is filed that provides false evidence, the League reserves the right to throw the original complaint out. Any member caught filing a complaint with false or fabricated evidence will be investigated and placed under review by the League. 2.1.3 : Providing Evidence In order for the League to come to a decision, complaints that are filed must include adequate proof about the infraction in question. Complaints that are filed that do not provided adequate proof will be marked as “rejected.” Any member who has had a complaint marked as “rejected” has the ability to resubmit the complaint, providing evidence for review. During these situations, seeking League Staff’s advice is recommended. Imgur.com, is the recommended site used to host images that can be posted directly into the Action Center. 2.1.4 : Viewing Ruling Decisions Once a complaint has been ruled on by League Staff it is located in the “Recent Actions” section of the Action Center. Members are encouraged to read and review this section of the Action Center prior to messaging the League for an update on a complaint they filed. When a player or manager is issued a suspension, they will receive a notification about the action. When you click on the notification it will redirect you to the recent action in which the player or management was involved with. 2.1.5 : Judging Complaints Certain members of League Staff are responsible for making decisions on complaints filed under certain categories. Website-related issues, such as code of conduct, chat box issues and more, are governed by Tris10, the website admin, as well as by the LG Commissioner. Any “in-game” violations are reviewed and decided by the Board of Governors (BoG). The BoG are also responsible for handling trade compensation requests. Any management related violations are reviewed and decided by the Commissioner’s Staff. Any Player rights violations are read and reviewed by the Player’s Association and overseen by the Commissioner’s Staff as well. The LG Commissioner is responsible for overseeing the decision process. The Commissioner is also responsible for educating and training his staff to the standards in which all complaints are to be handled. In situations where a complaint(s) is filed that isn’t outlined within the guidelines of the Constitution, the Commissioner has the responsibility to ensure the issue is handled in the best interest of the League. The LG Commissioner will try and remain out of the decision-making of day-to-day complaints. The Commissioner can be used to review situations under appeal, review major situations that the League Staff members assigned to the task are not comfortable with and also deal with situations that are found to not be outlined within the Constitution. In the situation where a complaint is being voted on by staff, any staff member that is currently a member of the party in question is ineligible for voting. In the situation where evidence provided for a complaint incriminates others not listed in the official complaint, the League's staff reserves the right issue the same punishment to the other who have broken the same rule(s). 2.1.6 : Right To An Appeal Every member on this website has the right to an appeal. Any time a decision is made, the member in question has the right to file for an appeal. Appeals are filed in situations where the member does not feel the process was handled fairly or the punishment is not adequate. The Player’s Association along with the LG Commissioner are responsible for reviewing appeals. If the member who has filed the appeal is not comfortable with the decision made by the PA and LG Commissioner, all other inquiries will be forwarded to Tris10. Recommended Best Practice : Always ensure that an appeal has a enough valid proof to ensure that the complaint you appealing will be overturned. Appeals that provide no new evidence will be voided by Staff. 2.1.7 : Violation Punishments Punishments are handed out at two different levels: Player and Manager. The type of violation and the role the member is currently in will determine what punishment will be issued. All punishments issued are based off of a degree system, not a strike system. That means the punishments are not cumulative. Each rule violation has a predetermined punishment associated with it. There are four degrees of punishment; first degree being the least serious, fourth being the most serious. The League also has the ability to issue a warning for certain violations that are deemed not deserving of a degree punishment. Probation can also be issued to Players and Managers as an alternative to a site ban or a seasonal ban. Probation is issued at the discretion of the League’s Staff. Player Punishments Any member who physically plays scheduled games in the League are eligible to receive a punishment for a Player infraction. 1st Degree: One Match Suspension 2nd Degree: Two Match Suspension 3rd Degree: One Week Suspension 4th Degree: One or Two Season Ban Team Captain Punishments Any member who was listed as a GM or AGM during the time of the infraction are eligible to receive a management punishment. 1st Degree : One Match Suspension 2nd Degree: Two Match Suspension 3rd Degree: One Week Suspension 4th Degree : One or Two Season Ban 2.1.8 : Time Frame for Serving A Punishment Complaints are not reviewed and completed by the League’s Staff until Thursday night, once all the games for the set week have been completed. All suspensions issued from the League for the following week must be issued no later than Sunday at Noon Eastern Time, allowing Managers enough time to account for suspended Players. The degree of punishment will determine when the Player, Manager or Owner must serve their punishment. First degree violations must be served on the first available Match that the violator is playing in. Second degree violations must be served the first match available that the violation is scheduled to play for the following week. Third degree violations must be served the following week after the violator received notice they are ineligible for play. Fourth Degree violations are effective immediately after the violator received notification of their removal.
