Obligation-Conflict Resolution
Case 24-04 (2025) · Community Engagement for Infrastructure Projects
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
Engineer M Safety Obligation Public Welfare Highway Upgrade Community P
prevails over
Engineer M Project Success Notification City Highway Upgrade
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Engineer M Competing Duties Between Client Authority and Public Welfare
- Engineer M Ethical Dilemma Regarding Report Endorsement
Engineer M Subcontractor Ethical Compliance Oversight Firm DBA
prevails over
Engineer M Graduated Escalation City After Firm DBA Non-Compliance
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Engineer M Subconsultant Ethical Non-Compliance with Firm DBA
- Internal Escalation Exhausted — Engineer M Post-City Meeting
Engineer M Safety Obligation Public Welfare Highway Upgrade Community P
prevails over
Engineer M Non-Association Fraudulent Enterprise Firm DBA
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Engineer M Professional Disassociation Decision
- Firm DBA Fraudulent Public Engagement Report
Featured
Firm DBA Public Engagement Report Completeness Accuracy Highway Upgrade
prevails over
City Municipal Infrastructure Client Non-Direction Fraudulent Report
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- City Client-Directed Procedural Manipulation of Engagement
- Historically Underserved Community Impact — Community P Project
Engineer M Licensure Board Reporting Firm DBA After City Inaction
prevails over
Engineer M Graduated Escalation City After Firm DBA Non-Compliance
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Engineer M Subconsultant Ethical Non-Compliance with Firm DBA
- Internal Escalation Exhausted — Engineer M Post-City Meeting
Open tensions recorded without a resolution:
Engineer M Licensure Board Reporting Firm DBA After City Inaction vs Engineer M Safety Obligation Public Welfare Highway Upgrade Community P
What the board concluded
- The actions of Firm DBA are not ethical under the Code as the services provided were under the supervision and ownership of licensed professional engineers.