How this case resolved it competition structure in OntServe
Engineer A Authority Notification Duty
prevails over
Engineer A Faithful Agent Duty
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Code Exception Disclosure Release
Engineer A Safety Precedence Duty
prevails over
Engineer A Confidentiality Duty
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Code Exception Disclosure Release
Engineer A Safety Precedence Duty
prevails over
Engineer A Faithful Agent Duty
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Code Exception Disclosure Release
Engineer A Safety Violation Reporting Duty
prevails over
Engineer A Confidentiality Duty
the two obligations are in tension (competesWith)
the yielding obligation gives way only under (defeasibleUnder):
- Code Exception Disclosure Release
Open tensions recorded without a resolution:
Engineer A Confidentiality Duty vs Engineer A Occupant Safety Duty
What the board concluded
From the Board's conclusions in Case 89-7:
- It was unethical for Engineer A not to report the safety violations to the appropriate public authorities.
Recorded violations:
Nondisclosure to Authorities violates Engineer A Authority Notification Duty
Nondisclosure to Authorities violates Engineer A Safety Precedence Duty
How comparable cases resolved this and related tensions
Read at the type level, this resolution is: Confidentiality Obligation yields to Reporting 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same tension: both duty types match (2) | |||
|
90-5
Failure To Report Information Affecting...
|
Reporting Obligation | Confidentiality Obligation | Same tension, resolved the same way |
|
96-8
Peer Review - Confidentiality Agreements
|
Reporting Obligation | Confidentiality Obligation | Same tension, resolved the same way |
| Related tension: one duty type matches (11) | |||
|
82-2
Confidentiality of Engineering Report
|
Confidentiality Obligation | Faithful Agent Obligation | The yielding type here prevails there |
|
17-3
Public Health, Safety and...
|
Proactive Risk Disclosure Obligation | Reporting Obligation | The prevailing type here yields there |
|
17-3
Public Health, Safety and...
|
Reporting Obligation | Reporting Obligation | The prevailing type here yields there |
|
08-10
Public Welfare—Design of Medical Equipment
|
Internal Escalation Obligation | Reporting Obligation | The prevailing type here yields there |
|
08-10
Public Welfare—Design of Medical Equipment
|
Faithful Agent Obligation | Reporting Obligation | The prevailing type here yields there |
|
85-4
Objectivity of Engineer Retained as Expert
|
Faithful Agent Obligation | Objectivity Obligation | The prevailing type here yields there |
|
93-3
Appropriate Notification And Review Of...
|
Faithful Agent Obligation | Peer Review Cooperation Obligation | The yielding type here also yields there, to a different duty |
|
90-5
Failure To Report Information Affecting...
|
Safety Obligation | Confidentiality Obligation | The yielding type here also yields there, to a different duty |
|
96-8
Peer Review - Confidentiality Agreements
|
Safety Obligation | Confidentiality Obligation | The yielding type here also yields there, to a different duty |
|
23-4
Acknowledging Errors in Design
|
Objectivity Obligation | Professional Accountability Obligation | The prevailing type here also prevails there, over a different duty |
|
76-4
Public Welfare - Knowledge of Information...
|
Reporting Obligation | Faithful Agent Obligation | The prevailing type here also prevails there, over a different duty |
Closest instance-level matches, ranked on the specific obligations and contexts of this case:
| Case | Obligation that prevailed | Yielding obligation | Context (defeasibleUnder) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
90-5
Failure To Report Information Affecting...
|
Engineer A Imminent Danger Notification Duty | Engineer A Confidentiality Duty | Safety Endangerment Confidentiality Release |
|
96-8
Peer Review - Confidentiality Agreements
|
Engineer A Public Safety Duty | Engineer A Confidentiality Duty | Confidentiality Versus Cooperation Dilemma |
|
21-2
Public Health, Safety, and ...
|
Engineer A Public Safety Duty Beyond Law | Engineer A Design Compliance Duty | Outdated Climate Design Standards |
|
76-4
Public Welfare - Knowledge of Information...
|
Engineer Doe Authority Reporting Duty | Engineer Doe Faithful Agent Duty | No Written Report Directive |
|
88-6
Whistleblowing - City Engineer
|
Engineer A Proper Authority Reporting Duty | Engineer A Faithful Agent Duty | Loyalty Versus Public Protection Conflict |