Obligation-Conflict Resolution
Case 07-10 (2007) · Public Health and Safety—Knowledge of Potentially Dangerous Condition
Professional obligations conflict, and the board applies no fixed rule for which one wins.
Each resolution is recorded as three edges:
competesWith (the tension),
prevailsOver (the obligation the board allowed to win in this case), and
defeasibleUnder (the situation under which the yielding obligation gives way).
The same tension is then traced across comparable cases, where its resolution shifts with context.
Hover any obligation or state to see its definition; click to open it in OntServe.
How this case resolved it
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Safety Obligation Paramount — Engineer A Barn Collapse Risk Public Welfare
prevails over
No-Current-Client-Relationship Safety Action — Engineer A Post-Sale Barn
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Engineer A Post-Sale Continuing Safety Obligation
Engineer A BER 00-5 Bridge Closure Public Pressure Resistance
prevails over
Engineer A BER 00-5 Public Employee Heightened Institutional Safety Responsibility
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- BER 00-5 Multi-Authority Escalation Obligation
New Owner Priority Notification — Engineer A Should Have Notified Jones Before Town Supervisor
prevails over
Engineer A Present Case Original Designer Post-Sale Barn Safety Notification
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Public Safety at Risk — Barn Structural Collapse Under Snow Load
Engineer A BER 00-5 Non-Engineer Override Full-Bore Multi-Authority Escalation
prevails over
Engineer A BER 00-5 Five-Ton Limit Supervisor Escalation
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- BER 00-5 Non-Engineer Public Works Director Reopening Decision
Persistent Safety Escalation — Engineer A After Town Supervisor Inaction
prevails over
Engineer A Present Case Post-Verbal Written Structural Safety Confirmation to Town Supervisor
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Verbal-Only Safety Advisory to Town Supervisor — No Written Record
Proportional Multi-Step Escalation — Engineer A Barn Snow Load Non-Imminent Collapse Risk
prevails over
Engineer A BER 00-5 Non-Engineer Override Full-Bore Multi-Authority Escalation
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Present Case Non-Imminent Barn Structural Risk
Written Structural Safety Confirmation — Engineer A Post-Verbal Town Supervisor Notification
prevails over
Engineer A Present Case Post-Verbal Written Structural Safety Confirmation to Town Supervisor
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Verbal-Only Safety Advisory to Town Supervisor — No Written Record
Open tensions recorded without a resolution:
Deadline-Conditioned Escalation — Engineer A After Town Supervisor Non-Response vs Persistent Safety Escalation — Engineer A After Town Supervisor Inaction
Engineer A BER 00-5 Non-Engineer Override Full-Bore Multi-Authority Escalation vs Engineer A BER 00-5 Retired Bridge Inspector Unlicensed Practice Determination and Reporting
Engineer A Present Case vs BER 00-5 Proportional Escalation Calibration vs Safety Obligation Paramount — Engineer A Barn Collapse Risk Public Welfare
New Owner Priority Notification — Engineer A Should Have Notified Jones Before Town Supervisor vs Safety Obligation Paramount — Engineer A Barn Collapse Risk Public Welfare
No-Current-Client-Relationship Safety Action — Engineer A Post-Sale Barn vs Original Designer Post-Sale Safety Notification — Engineer A Barn Snow Load Collapse Risk
Persistent Safety Escalation — Engineer A After Town Supervisor Inaction vs Written Structural Safety Confirmation — Engineer A Post-Verbal Town Supervisor Notification
What the board concluded
- Engineer A has fulfilled his ethical obligation by taking prudent action in notifying the town supervisor—the individual presumably with the most authority in the jurisdiction.