Obligation-Conflict Resolution

Case 85-3 (1985) · P.E. Requirement for County Surveyor Position

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 competition structure in OntServe

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Engineer A Ethics Beyond Legality Duty prevails over County Commissioners P.E. Appointment Duty

the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)

this resolution as a triple in OntServe

the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):

Engineer A Discipline Mismatch

Engineer A Qualified Oversight Duty prevails over County Commissioners P.E. Appointment Duty

the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)

this resolution as a triple in OntServe

the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):

Engineer A Discipline Mismatch

What the board concluded

It was unethical for Engineer A to accept the position as county surveyor.

Recorded violations: Position Acceptance violates Engineer A Competence Duty Position Acceptance violates Engineer A Qualified Oversight Duty

How comparable cases resolved this and related tensions

Read at the type level, this resolution is: Legal Obligation yields to Ethical Conduct Obligation. Comparison across cases happens at this level; the duty types recur while each case's obligations instantiate them. Cases below are grouped by how much of that pairing they share. A duty type that yields here may prevail elsewhere, which is the context-dependence itself, not an inconsistency.

Same tension: both duty types match, so the board ruled on this exact pairing. Related tension: only one duty type matches; the other duty differs, so these show how a type behaves elsewhere rather than a ruling on this pairing.

Case	Prevailing type	Yielding type	Relation to this case
Related tension: one duty type matches (3)
21-2 Public Health, Safety, and ...	Public Safety Obligation	Legal Obligation	The yielding type here also yields there, to a different duty
21-2 Public Health, Safety, and ...	Future Conditions Consideration Obligation	Legal Obligation	The yielding type here also yields there, to a different duty
93-8 Use Of Broad Indemnification Clause For...	Professional Accountability Obligation	Legal Obligation	The yielding type here also yields there, to a different duty

No other committed case closely matches this exact pair of obligations yet.