Report a Board violation discovered on ENG-TIPs? 3

[ImminentCollapse]

Obviously this is a carry-over from the "Report a Client for Fraud" thread. Moon161's post got me thinking, there is probably plenty enough information now for the more (or less) astute to begin narrowing down this project/client/company/individuals.

It appears to be a pretty egregious case. So, anyone licensed in Casseopia's jurisdiction getting squeamish?

Where is the line for reporting something like this as an unrelated third party in a not-so-anonymous forum? I don't know.

IC

 

[MikeHalloran]

Report what?
You don't have the forged documents, do you?


Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[SNORGY]

Besides...

I doubt if *that* particular company would want to step up and say, "How dare you trash-talk us that way!"

*They* are the ones who should be seeking anonymity.

Regards,

SNORGY.

 

[rowingengineer]

It would be a very long bow and very hard to aim. You would be better off trying to find the sharks in your own fish bowl.

ANY FOOL CAN DESIGN A STRUCTURE. IT TAKES AN ENGINEER TO DESIGN A CONNECTION.”

 

[zdas04]

Especially since you really can't tell if someone is who they say they are or a 56 year old male mailman living in his mother's basement and pretending to be a 26 year old female structural engineer all of who's projects have been made up to stimulate discussion.

Some of us have taken steps to give people confidence we are who we say we are, but others have not. The ones that have taken those steps may just be creating a "legend" to support their fantasy posting. It is a stretch, but not impossible.

Best bet in my opinion is to RF any posts that seem to be leading towards advocating unethical behaviour. More than that and you're just looking to let your car become chattel in a defamation suit.

David

 

[casseopeia]

zda04, you forgot part of the description! It should be 26 yo female with long, beautiful hair, smart, good cook and fine architect, who happens to look like that 56 yo mailman living in his mom's basement.

ImminentCollapse, report anything you want. There is nothing here that I could not back up with photos and my own personal file of marked-up reports. Just be careful of those who like to kill the messenger.

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[MikeHalloran]

Your personal file is not accessible to your employer, right?



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[patprimmer]

A copy of your personal file is never on the employers premises I hope and is safely under lock and key in a private locatin you are assured continuing access to, which might not be STBXBFs home.

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules

 

[jmw]

Yes, you have to be careful of partners.
A colleague of mine upset his SB (who later divorced him) and she trashed the hard drive on his computer.
A lock box somewhere or a friend you can trust.
But we already covered not allowing anyone access to anything important to you.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[casseopeia]

I keep hard copies in an off-site storage facility, but I also have a thumb drive onto which I download files. The items I critical items I have are marked-up copies of my report, some original, some scanned and printed. All files are in my work folder on my desktop, or in the project file. I keep copies in case those things disappear, or I am cut off from access.

I never tried making the external drive password protected or anything. Don't even know if that's possible.

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[jmw]

And please, Cass, do not be a 56 y.o. postman with a kalashnikov..
I much prefer you as a 28 y.o. engineer .
Zdas04, any more such alarms and I'll need to act!

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[casseopeia]

I prefer the title 'Postal Worker' thank you. Now if I can only get my m...mm...muth...mother to tell me where she hid the clips.....

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Not to add another wrinkle to the fabric of this tangled skein, Cass, but have you considered what penalties you may incur from removing said evidence from company property?

I'm not saying I wouldn't do the same in your case, just a reminder that copying the stuff (in any form) and taking it off premises may present a legal sticky wicket.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[zdas04]

Cass,
This isn't a thread you started. I was talking about a general principle--you can't turn someone in to the board for posts on a semi-anonymous forum. I certainly wasn't implying that any particular contributer was a postal carrier living in his mother's basement.

David

 

[MiketheEngineer]

This forum is just for "tossing" around ideas.

On a grand scale - if you are privy to an infraction and have ALL the facts, it should be reported - but you don't.

There are two sides to every story - and usually three. The third where the truth really comes out.

So offer your opinion if you wish and let the to OP handle it his/her way!!

 

[beej67]

I'm not saying I wouldn't do the same in your case, just a reminder that copying the stuff (in any form) and taking it off premises may present a legal sticky wicket.

QFT

Although I do wonder what sort of "damages" Cass could be assessed with in a lawsuit if she was only taking stuff to protect her own best interests against wrongful termination, or against future fraud issues.

back to the OP's question:

It has been my experience with internet discussion forums that cops laugh and ignore anything that comes out of them, by necessity. The only example I can recall of an internet discussion forum turning into "real" action is when those NC State football fans recently filed an Open Records request to get Butch Davis's phone records, which ended up leading to UNC firing him to prevent them from becoming public knowledge and keep them out of the hands of the NCAA. Extremely different situation obviously.

Hydrology, Drainage Analysis, Flood Studies, and Complex Stormwater Litigation for Atlanta and the South East -

http://www.campbellcivil.com

 

[patprimmer]

Cass

I would certainly copy everything and keep it safely off premisses, but I would show them to no one except my lawyer.

If this becomes a legal issue he can determine what can be used and how it can be used. It will certainly help with discovery (I presume the USA has similar laws re discovery hat we have) if he knows what to look for exactly and to help nail them if documents are missing.

A good read up of non disclosed documents certainly helps to refresh the memory and keep statements accurate and consistent.

You may want to keep diary notes. Their accuracy might be enhanced also by a bit of study.

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules

 

[jmw]

Interesting point.

Is it illegal to keep copies of the documents, any documents, in an uncontrolled external/private resource?
I guess you couldn't use documents kept that way as a part of any project because they are not within your QA procedures.

But that isn't whey you are keeping them.

Or is it only illegal if you take such documents to use them for personal gain? e.g. making competing offers, starting your own business etc.

There is a legal distinction, in the UK, between car theft (GTA) and taking away without the owners consent (joyriding).

For some reason the more serious crime is car theft but it has to be shown that the reason the car was stolen was for gain, to be sold or stripped for parts.
If that cannot be proven, then the best the police can do is charge joyriding which , I think, entitles the offender to apply for an adventure holiday at Her Majesties Expense.

Don't ask me why this is or if I agree with this subtlety, but maybe some similar thinking applies to keeping copies of relevant documents, not for personal gain but for non-commercial reasons and, in the circumstances here, maybe they'd have a hard job showing any criminal intent.


JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[patprimmer]

Arguing you are not allowed to use copies of documents obtained illegally to prove someone illegally destroyed or hid documents is a bit like arguing that a bank cannot use security camera footage because the robber did not give permission to photograph him.

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules

 

[MacGyverS2000]

Pat,

The courts usually do not admit articles into evidence if it can be shown the plaintiff/defendant obtained them unlawfully. The lawyers can use such evidence only if they (or their clients) took no part in the theft. If one of Cass' coworkers kept this info for her (and unbeknownst to her), that could be entered into evidence without issue. But then the coworker could get into trouble.

Of course, all rules/laws are subject to interpretation and the current whim of the judge to set precedent.

There is a very real possibility the company could have any of this documentation squashed because it was obtained without court order.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com