How to run Offer Of Judgment Analyzer in DocketMath for Arkansas

Step-by-step

Run this scenario in DocketMath using the Offer Of Judgment Analyzer calculator.

This guide walks you through running Offer Of Judgment Analyzer in DocketMath for Arkansas (US-AR). DocketMath applies jurisdiction-aware logic and uses Arkansas’s governing timing rule for written offers of judgment.

Note / non-legal advice: This walkthrough is for understanding how to use the calculator and interpret its timing logic. It’s not legal advice. Rules can be nuanced, so consider confirming the relevant legal effect in your specific situation.

Arkansas’s general/default rule for written offers is a 30-day acceptance window. The statute provides that the opposing party “shall have thirty (30) days to accept or reject the offer.” No claim-type-specific exception was provided in the materials you supplied, so this content treats 30 days as the default.

1) Open the analyzer in DocketMath

1. Go to the primary tool here: /tools/offer-of-judgment-analyzer
2. Confirm you’re viewing the Offer Of Judgment Analyzer (not another calculator in DocketMath).

2) Select Arkansas as the jurisdiction

1. Find the Jurisdiction selector.
2. Choose:

   • **US-AR (Arkansas)

With US-AR selected, DocketMath should apply Arkansas-specific modeling—especially for the 30-day timing logic.

3) Enter the offer details (the inputs that drive the output)

The analyzer typically asks for “math variables” that determine the results. Enter values in the available form fields, such as:

• Offer amount (the dollar figure you offered)
• Case value / baseline (often the comparator the tool uses—e.g., a target recovery or reference amount)
• Date of the offer (this anchors the start of the response period)
• Acceptance or rejection date (the date you want the tool to test)

  • If there’s also a “scenario” date field, use it to represent the same concept: the time the opposing party responds (accepts or rejects)
• Any additional numeric factors the tool requests (for example, cost/fee-related multipliers, if the UI includes them)

If the UI provides mode toggles (for example, accepted vs. rejected, or whether the matter “went to judgment”), select the option that matches the scenario you’re evaluating.

4) Understand how the 30-day rule affects results

Arkansas’s rule (general/default) is:

• The opposing party must accept or reject within 30 days from the written offer date.
  Source: Ark. Code Ann. § 16-66-402
  https://law.justia.com/codes/arkansas/2010/title-16/chapter-66/subchapter-4/16-66-402/

How that changes your output in DocketMath: your entered dates determine whether the response is treated as occurring within or outside the default acceptance window.

So, your results can flip depending on whether you test:

• a response date within 30 days, vs.
• a response date after 30 days

5) Run the calculation and review the output

1. Click Calculate (or the tool’s equivalent).
2. Review the results, focusing on:

   • Timing outcome (does the acceptance/rejection fall inside the 30-day window?)
   • Scenario summary (what assumptions DocketMath made from your inputs)
   • Calculated thresholds (if the tool reports breakpoints)
   • Any results table / figures (the numeric comparison the tool computes)

A practical workflow:

• Run once with your best estimate of dates.
• Run again shifting just the response date (for example, by +7 or +15 days) to see how sensitive the classification is to crossing the 30-day boundary.

6) Iterate with scenario testing

Offer-of-judgment analyses often hinge on timing, not only dollars. Try at least two scenarios that straddle the 30-day rule:

• Scenario A: response date = offer date + 15 days
• Scenario B: response date = offer date + 40 days

Because Arkansas’s default window is 30 days, the analyzer should reflect a different timing classification between these two setups.

7) Save or export (if DocketMath offers it)

If the tool UI provides options like save, share, or export:

• Use them after confirming Jurisdiction = US-AR.
• Keep separate versions for different scenarios (especially if you’re comparing multiple offer amounts and response dates).

Common pitfalls

These are common issues that can cause the analyzer to produce results that don’t match your intended scenario:

• If you don’t keep US-AR selected, DocketMath may apply a different timing rule.

• Arkansas’s 30-day rule is anchored to the written offer date, with the opposing party responding within that period.

• If you accidentally use a different date (for example, a filing date) where the tool expects the offer date, the timing output can be wrong.

• Based on the materials you provided, Arkansas uses a general/default 30-day period for written offers of judgment.

• Don’t assume a different timeframe based on claim type unless your sources explicitly provide one (none was provided here).

• Even if the offer amount is correct, missing or mismatched date inputs can prevent DocketMath from applying the timing logic tied to Ark. Code Ann. § 16-66-402.

• DocketMath is meant to support structured evaluation and calculations. Treat its outputs as analytic support, not as a substitute for legal review.

• If you have multiple dates in your case workflow, ensure the tool field you use is the one intended to represent the opposing party’s acceptance/rejection timing, not a later event.

Try it

Use this quick test drive to verify the calculator’s Arkansas timing logic:

1. Set Jurisdiction to **US-AR (Arkansas)

2. Enter:

   • an offer amount
   • an offer date (choose one near today for convenience)
   • a response date in the field labeled acceptance/rejection date (or the closest equivalent)

3. Run two comparisons:

   • Run 1 (within window):

     • response date = offer date + 20 days
   • Run 2 (outside window):

     • response date = offer date + 35 days

4. Compare outputs:

   • Run 1: the analyzer should classify the response as within the 30-day window (default rule under Ark. Code Ann. § 16-66-402).
   • Run 2: the analyzer should classify the response as outside the 30-day period.

If your outputs don’t change between the two runs, check:

• whether the acceptance/rejection date field is actually being used by the tool, and
• whether you accidentally left the scenario selection in a mode that ignores dates.

For the fastest way back to the tool, use:
/tools/offer-of-judgment-analyzer

Related reading

• Offer of Judgment Analyzer Guide for Alabama
• Offer of Judgment Analyzer Guide for Arizona
• Offer of Judgment Analyzer Guide for Colorado