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OnTrial
FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

The questions buyers ask most often — about what OnTrial does, who we work with, how engagements run, and the compliance posture behind every case.

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About OnTrial

What is OnTrial?
OnTrial is an enterprise intelligence platform that delivers background investigations, asset searches and cryptocurrency tracing, due diligence, geolocation intelligence, social media analysis, and field operations for attorneys, capital allocators, compliance teams, private investigators, and protective operations. Every case is intelligence-led, analyst-verified, and delivered with documented chain of custody.
Who is OnTrial built for?
Litigation firms, insurance defense firms, private credit funds, venture capital and private equity, family offices, compliance and GRC teams, private investigators, and executive-protection / corporate-security teams. Any professional buyer who needs intelligence delivered at a defensible standard on an operational timeline.
Is OnTrial available to plaintiff-side firms?
Yes. OnTrial works with both plaintiff and defense counsel. Conflict-avoidance is governed by a first-right-of-retention standard: we do not take engagements that would compromise our independence on a matter we are already working.
Is OnTrial a database, a platform, or a P.I. firm?
All three, by design. OnTrial owns the operational backbone (case management, secure collaboration, audit trail), the investigative methodology (multi-source intelligence, analyst verification, chain of custody), and the licensed operator network (Licensed and insured in California). Buyers get one accountable vendor instead of stitching together a database subscription, a P.I. shop, and a workflow tool.
How is OnTrial different from a traditional P.I. shop?
OnTrial runs intelligence-led, analyst-verified investigations against a documented operating discipline — defined sourcing, multi-pipeline collection, chain of custody, and a veteran or LEO case manager accountable from intake to delivery. Pricing is fixed per report or per project, not hourly. Turnaround is documented; rush options are available on every product. Reports are designed to withstand evidentiary scrutiny.
How is OnTrial different from a database vendor?
Database vendors sell access to records. OnTrial pairs premium non-public data (CLOSINT-first methodology) with OSINT, analyst verification, and lead pursuit. You receive a verified report, not a raw record dump — and every finding has a documented source.

Compliance & AI Governance

Is OnTrial FCRA compliant?
Yes. Every OnTrial product is delivered under the Fair Credit Reporting Act where applicable. Permissible-purpose verification, dispute handling, and consumer-report procedures are built into the platform.
Is OnTrial GLBA compliant?
Yes. OnTrial operates under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act for the handling of financial information, including the safeguarding rule and the permissible-purpose framework that governs the use of non-public personal financial data.
Is OnTrial SOC 2 Type II compliant?
Yes. OnTrial maintains SOC 2 Type II controls covering security, availability, and confidentiality across the stack, audited by an independent third party.
Is OnTrial CCPA / SB 1454 compliant?
Yes. California Consumer Privacy Act and California SB 1454 investigator-records retention requirements are built into the platform's data lifecycle.
Does OnTrial sell, share, or rent client data?
No. Client matter information is processed in isolated infrastructure and is not sold, shared, or rented to any third party.
Does OnTrial use client data to train AI models?
No. Client data is never used to train or fine-tune AI systems — internal or third-party. This is a non-negotiable architectural commitment, not a policy preference.
How does OnTrial handle AI use in outside counsel guidelines (OCG)?
OnTrial is built to satisfy the AI-use, data-handling, and vendor-management provisions that increasingly appear in OCG and engagement letters. AI accelerates the investigative pipeline; a veteran or LEO case manager reviews and an analyst verifies every finding before delivery. AI does not sign off on output. Every step is logged and auditable.
What's OnTrial's data retention posture?
Zero retention in the processing layer. Case data is processed in isolated infrastructure and is not stored beyond delivery. Long-term retention follows CCPA and SB 1454 requirements for investigator records, not for content reuse.
Are OnTrial's reports defensible in litigation?
Yes. Reports are produced with documented chain of custody, analyst verification of every finding, source identification, and timestamped collection where applicable. Reports are designed to support deposition, motion practice, and trial use.

For litigation firms

Can OnTrial support pre-suit, deposition, and trial workups?
Yes. OnTrial supports the full litigation arc — pre-suit diligence on opposing parties, plaintiff and witness workups, juror research, deposition prep, scene documentation, and post-judgment asset enforcement. Trial 360 is a fixed-cost package designed for plaintiff or defendant workups, key-witness vetting, and juror research in advance of trial.
Does OnTrial support post-judgment asset enforcement?
Yes. Asset Searches identify and document real estate, vehicles, financial accounts, business interests, judgments, liens, and on-chain cryptocurrency holdings tied to a named subject. Global CryptoScan extends the workup to on-chain attribution with global exchange exposure. Reports are produced with documented chain of custody for use in collections and post-judgment enforcement.
Does OnTrial handle juror research?
Yes. Juror vetting is one of the three named use cases for the Trial 360 package. Rush turnaround is available for time-sensitive voir dire engagements.
What's the turnaround on a Background Plus or Background 360?
Flash Background returns in 1–2 business days. Background Plus returns in 2–5 business days. Background 360 returns in 3–7 business days. Rush is available on every product when the engagement requires it.

For insurance defense firms

Does OnTrial handle AOE / COE investigation for workers compensation matters?
Yes. Arising-out-of-employment / course-of-employment investigation is a core OnTrial field operation. Engagements pair intelligence-led planning with on-the-ground operators to document the activity, environment, and witnesses relevant to compensability.
Does OnTrial handle sub-rosa activity-check surveillance?
Yes. Licensed surveillance operators conduct sub-rosa activity checks on claimants in workers comp, long-term disability, premises liability, auto, and professional liability matters. Documentation is evidentiary-grade and prepared to support EUO, motion practice, and trial.
Can OnTrial pull and preserve a claimant's social media?
Yes. DeepMedia Social Media Search covers 400+ platforms across the clear and dark web, including hidden accounts and aliases, with archive capture and timestamps for evidentiary use in fraud-claim defense.
Can OnTrial support EUO preparation?
Yes. Pre-EUO subject workups — background, social, geolocation, and field corroboration as warranted — are routinely delivered for insurance-defense matters.

For private credit, VC, and PE

Can OnTrial complete pre-investment due diligence in 48 hours?
Yes. OnTrial publishes a documented 48-hour rush SLA for pre-investment subject diligence on principals, founders, borrowers, and acquisition targets. Built specifically for private credit signing windows, VC term-sheet decisions, and PE acquisition timing.
What's included in Level 1 vs Level 2 due diligence?
Level 1 — Comprehensive Screening covers identity, criminal, civil, watchlist, regulatory, and adverse-media screening with analyst verification. Returns in 2–5 business days. Level 2 — Enhanced Business Intelligence adds principals, entities, beneficial-ownership mapping, asset exposure, and reputational deep-dive across jurisdictions. Returns in 5–10 business days. Both tiers offer rush turnaround.
Does OnTrial handle cross-border principals and global asset exposure?
Yes. OnTrial supports cross-border due diligence on foreign principals with regulatory and watchlist screening across jurisdictions, beneficial-ownership mapping, and global asset and reputational exposure. Global CryptoScan extends coverage to on-chain exposure with global exchange attribution.
Can OnTrial support AML / KYC enhanced due diligence?
Yes. OnTrial Due Diligence is structured around enhanced-due-diligence requirements for AML / KYC, including watchlist and adverse-media screening, beneficial-ownership mapping, source-of-wealth signals, and politically-exposed-person identification. Defensible for regulator and audit review.

Terminology & methodology

What is Pattern of Life analysis?
Pattern of Life analysis is device-level geolocation intelligence that maps a subject's movement, dwell-time, and location history over time. Used to document lifestyle inconsistency with reported income or disability, establish routine presence at a location, or corroborate — or contradict — a subject's stated activity. See Geolocation · Pattern of Life.
What is beneficial ownership mapping?
Beneficial ownership mapping identifies the natural persons who ultimately own or control an entity — through layered corporate structures, nominee directors, trusts, and offshore vehicles. It is the core methodology in FCPA diligence, AML/KYC enhanced due diligence, and fraud-recovery asset tracing: finding the humans behind the legal structure.
What is shell company unwinding?
Shell company unwinding traces assets held through nominee entities back to the natural person who owns or controls them. Used in fraud recovery, bankruptcy trustee work, and anti-corruption diligence — identifying the real owner when the legal structure is designed to obscure it.
What is an Examination Under Oath (EUO)?
An EUO is a formal sworn examination of a claimant or other party conducted by an insurer — a threshold step in the investigation of disputed insurance claims. OnTrial supports EUO preparation with subject background workups, social media preservation, prior-claim history, and surveillance documentation.
What is an AOE/COE investigation?
AOE/COE — arising-out-of-employment / course-of-employment — investigation documents whether an injury occurred within the scope of employment, the threshold question for workers compensation compensability. OnTrial conducts AOE/COE investigations using intelligence-led planning, licensed on-the-ground operators, and evidentiary-grade field documentation.
What is juror vetting?
Juror vetting is pre-voir-dire research on prospective jurors — background, civil and criminal history, social media, prior litigation participation, and behavioral signals. Rush turnaround is available for time-sensitive voir dire engagements. Juror research is one of the three named use cases for the Trial 360 package.
What is a Rule 2004 examination in bankruptcy?
A Rule 2004 examination is a sworn examination of a debtor, insider, or third party authorized by the bankruptcy court — used by trustees and recovery counsel to discover assets, investigate financial history, and develop fraudulent-transfer adversary proceedings. OnTrial supports 2004 preparation with debtor background workups, undisclosed-asset identification, and transfer-trail documentation.
What is CLOSINT?
CLOSINT — closed-source intelligence — refers to proprietary, non-public records accessed through licensed data agreements. OnTrial's methodology is CLOSINT-first: premium non-public records are the starting point, then layered with OSINT and analyst pursuit. This produces findings a raw public-records search or a database subscription will miss.
What does 'analyst-verified' mean at OnTrial?
Every finding in an OnTrial report is reviewed by a human analyst before delivery. AI accelerates collection and processing; a veteran or LEO case manager and an analyst confirm, contextualize, and source every finding before it appears in a report. No raw model output or unverified record is shipped.
What is chain of custody in a private investigation?
Chain of custody documents the origin, handling, and condition of every finding — from collection through delivery. OnTrial maintains chain-of-custody records on every case: timestamped collection, analyst verification, and sourced reporting. This makes findings defensible for deposition, expert testimony, and trial.

For fraud examiners, bankruptcy trustees & corporate counsel

Does OnTrial support Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 trustee work?
Yes. OnTrial supports trustees and recovery counsel with undisclosed-asset identification, fraudulent-transfer investigation, cryptocurrency tracing, insider and affiliate workups, and 2004 examination preparation. Global CryptoScan covers on-chain assets — frequently the asset class most often missed in bankruptcy schedules.
Can OnTrial support a CFE-led fraud recovery investigation?
Yes. OnTrial supports Certified Fraud Examiners, forensic accountants, and fraud-recovery counsel with asset tracing, shell-company unwinding, lifestyle documentation, and expert-witness-ready report preparation. Findings are sourced, timestamped, and chain-of-custody documented.
Can OnTrial support internal investigations for in-house counsel?
Yes. Engagements run at the direction of counsel can be framed as work product. OnTrial supports employee-misconduct, IP-leak, and whistleblower-complaint investigations with background workups, social media preservation, and field corroboration. Chain-of-custody documentation is maintained from intake through delivery.
Can OnTrial support FCPA / anti-corruption third-party diligence?
Yes. Level 2 — Enhanced Business Intelligence covers principals, entities, beneficial-ownership mapping, PEP identification, adverse-media screening, and cross-jurisdiction regulatory exposure — built to satisfy FCPA and UK Bribery Act third-party diligence requirements. Defensible for regulator and audit review.
Does OnTrial trace cryptocurrency for fraud and bankruptcy recovery?
Yes. Global CryptoScan provides on-chain wallet attribution and global cryptocurrency exchange exposure on a named subject. Used in fraud recovery, Ponzi-victim recovery, post-judgment enforcement, and bankruptcy estate recovery.

Operations & engagement

Who actually runs OnTrial cases?
Every internal role at OnTrial is held by a veteran of the U.S. military, federal law enforcement, or state / municipal law enforcement — by mandate. Each internal-role employee holds or has held a government security clearance and agrees to ongoing security screening. Field operators are licensed and insured.
Is OnTrial licensed?
Yes. OnTrial operates under Licensed and insured in California. Field operators are licensed and insured to the standards of each jurisdiction where they operate.
Does OnTrial work outside the United States?
Yes. OnTrial has global reach for cross-border matters, foreign principals, and international asset, reputational, and cryptocurrency exposure. The same operating discipline applies regardless of geography.
How fast can a rush engagement be delivered?
Rush options exist on every product. The published headline SLA is 48 hours for pre-investment due diligence; rush turnaround on backgrounds, asset searches, and field operations is scoped at intake based on the matter.
What does pricing look like?
Pay per report or per project. No subscription, no monthly fees, no onboarding fees, no contracts. The number is quoted up front; net terms are available for select clients. All five suites — Legal, Capital, Compliance, Security, Investigator — share the same pricing model.
Are sample reports available?
Yes. Sample reports are available on request. Reach out via the contact form and a member of the team will follow up within one business day.