Testimony is given under oath and witnesses may be cross‐examined. The Federal Rules of Evidence serve as guidelines but are not rigidly enforced.Arbitration typically dispenses with the formal rules of evidence, which serves to speed up the process and encourages the admission of all relevant evidence. A Federal Court in California Recently. Ruled that the Very Same Verizon. A model federal arbitration summons, with extensive annotations, for the purpose of testifying and presenting documentary evidence at an arbitration hearing. Some civil cases go to arbitration instead of going to trial. An arbitrator will hear the case, consider evidence, and decide the outcome. The FAA applies to any contract "evidencing a transaction involving commerce" that is subject to a written agreement to arbitrate.