Case Information
*1 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
Mr. 7. EO Ri tar, Searrtrr;l
Texas mat, Ii srA Rcglrtratioa
tar Prof*rrloanl Englnro.rr
Urtla, Taxarr
Darr Mr. Rightor f-A qu*rtloa:
has heera reo
been registered in thls aatlrlt~sa ot a eertaln zmn his attempt soourb a ot rowlo and roaA lmpratemoat8 la Pm. MO. e’.
mA rurthar agreed fa ruoh oontraot to
(To furnirh the asoomary engin: l o rlag ruper rirloa throughout the oourso or oonstruotioo, aaA to repra- thr aomalr8lonarr rant oourt of Aauf- man County, Toxss in all things por- *2 Yr. r. R. Rlghtor, Maroh I, lOSO, Page 8
taiolag to proouremnt of gomm- ment fund0 and the rtruotur41 progrear of the propoaod projrot.' ‘It lr oomplalnsd to %hl8 oft100 that ruoh maa Aosr not hare a lloenro (IO an mglneor and Is not regl~torod with your offloe, and ruoh aonatltuter an ‘offer to praatloo oaglnoor’ ar AsnounooA by tha ntatuto. l’ho ELda Ald clot Ieouro the ooatrciot.
gParronally, I do not to rhlrk an7 reepon- ribillty that may ho mine a6 County Attorney, but at the same tlao, I do not want to do any- oomplalat ror Borne- oae aa lnjustloo by tlllne thlag vhoa ho Is not Cullty. I am aot an ea- and do not knov whether the above faots glarar, ~ru~otahov aa ‘orrar praotloo onglaaorlag~
It ooour8 to me that he hna not ot-
SrreA lo do any oadlneerlog work but has merely oontrootsd to furnish the snglacrrlag vhlah he oould do by hlrliir, and omployIng a roelstorod anglnarr .
*If your Board bar had any latorprotstloa of tram ‘offer to praatloe* Srom the Attor- nry General*8 Dopartmeat, I would rppreolatr your aAtl8lag me about it. JUIO, as 4 praotlslng oaglaoar yourrrlf, and am.6 molnbrt oi tbr Board, lntorrsted In remlar? this lav oagorood, thet 1 vould approglrte your ~~Irlng mo your bort JuAg- mont In thlr matter.
‘1 would t3aak you to let mo hear from you an moon 44 possIblo.*
Paragraph B of ,SeotiOn Z! Of AFtiole 32lla read8 a8 follovrr
*The praotlao of profsrslonal enelnrerlng within the asanlnr and intent of t>i8 Aat In- dludor any roror8lonal ronlao, ruoh aa ooa- lp ntertlgatloa, etaluatlon, pt*nine, rultatloa, damlgnlag, or respoarlble rupervlrloo of aon- rtruotloa la oooasatloa rlth any pub110 or.prl- vate Atllltlos, bulldlngr, maohines, struoturrn, equipment, proooaae~, works, proJsot8, vherela the pub110 volfaro, or the satoguardla& of life, *3 . Kr. F. 3. Rlghtor, Karoh (I, 1939, Page S
health or property la oonoomed or larolteA, vhan mob proteralon4l aervlae require8 the of l nglnoorlag prlnolplra 8ppllaatlon 4nA Iaterpretatioasof l aglaoering Aat8.’
Seotloa 19 of Art1014 St718 rrrA8 88 iollovar “Artor tho lint A47 of taounry, 1958, it ahall bo unhwful for this Stntr, or ior my ot it8 polltloal l ubAItIrloar for any oomtf oltx, or towa to 4agagr la thr ooll- atruotfon of any pub110 work lmolrln~ ro- englneerias, where pub110 he farsloaal th, J or pub110 moiety pub110 velfarr lr lnrolvoA, unlear tho en lnoerlag plans and 8proIflan- tlonr and eat mate8 have been pm arsd by, P l aA the enginesring oonrtruotloa i I to be l xoouteA under the Alroot rnperrlrfon of 4 reglrtered profsrslonal engineer; prorlded, that nothing la thla Aat 4hall be hold to . . apply to nay pub110 work wherein the ooa-
tomplated oxpondlturo for the omploteb pro- Jrot doer not oxooud Threo Thousand (Z?i,OOO.OO) Do&ma. ProrldeA, thlr Aot #hall not 8pply to any road n~latenaaoe or betterment work undertaken by County C~ae.loacra~ Ccurt.
Seotloa 23 of Artlole 3S7la maAn a8 follova: ;Oa or after first Any of January, lWS, any perroa who ahall praotloo, or oftar to prnotloe, ths profes8Ion of eaglaearlag or exempted In this State wlthout being rsglutered 1lnsooorAanoe with the prorlaloar Of thlr Aat, or any perron presentin;? or attem tin& to use aa hlr owa the oertlfloate of f reg rtratlon or the seal of another, or any ptraOn who shall glte any false or forgob etlAenar of any klad to the RearA or to any member thereof
la ob- talalng oortlfloatr of roglrtratloa, Or any perooa who ahell vloletr any of the provl8loar of thlr: Aot, bo fined not 1038 than One Rundred
100.00 Dollar4 nor more than Fir4 Hundred 100.00 Dollarm, or be oonilaed Jo11 tar It I a psrlod of not sxoeeAln& (3) montha, three both. &oh day of Such vlolatloa shall be *4 Mr. ?. E. Righter, Merah 7, 1039, Page 4
a aeparate ottenae. O’
In all orlalnal oaese the dorem!ant la pra- aumed Ianooaat uatll hi8 guilt la s4tabllrheA by legal anA ocmpetont erlAoaos beyond a rsaeoaable doubt. The burden o? proving the guilt la upon the Stat. throughh- out the trld end never ehltta to the Aofandnnt.
The qusrtlon arleoe se to whether or aot the raota an3 etldtnos sLateA la your lettor, nro, a8 a matter of law, euiiloiont to juetlSy the aonilotloa of the Ae?oadeat under Ssotion 83 o? hrtlole 337l4, ior the o?teaae o? aoffarln~ topr4otloe englneerlaga. In order to ooavlot, under the teat8 etated, t’lr oourt or Jury, would hare to rind tros tho erlQeaae, beyond 4 reaeon4ble doubt, that the Aotendant poreanally ottorob to sake the plans, aptoi?loetloaa, eat&mats8 and oto. 4nA that tht mkln of l uoh plane, tptoltloatIonr ea- tImnte8 tnd eta. f wliioh were not Aeearlbeb) lnvo~ved the appilaatlcn of eaplaeerlng plan4 end the Iaterpreta- tloa of cn&marlng data. If tko aourt or Jury trying the geea ha4 a reasonable Acubt a8 to any o? there an l oqulttal. leauee, the Ae?tndeat would be tatltled The iollowlag etatemmt in the oontrnot, to- *lt t the atooerary
90 iurnlsh eaglneerlag eup@rvlelon throughout oourae of ooa- rtruotlon, end to repreeent ocmmIealoa- em oourt of Xauf’maa County, Texar in all things pertalnl~g to the proooremoat o?
gotoramcnt ?unAe 4nA the etruotural progeoer of the propoeed proJeot.* htre partlaulerly pointed out.
It le clear t!ie defendant 00~14 oomply with ttls portion o? his contract by hlrlnc and amploping In dolnr this, ho reglsttred professional tagla88r. would not be offaring to praotloe eaglaeerlag hlmeelt.
The defendant would be entltltd to an aoqulttal l? ootirt or Jury had a roaeoaablt doubt as to whether tht not the defendant lattndtd to do the englnoeriag work *5 Xr. 1. IS. Blghtor, Xarob 7, 1959, Pago b blmrolf Or hare S-0 don8 br 8 TU&i8t8r86 ~tOf888iOlS81 l n&I8o r. Your 8r8, thsrdrom, r8Bp8OtfU~l~ 8dTl806 it 18 th8 Opinion Of thi8 D8parttWUlt that f8Ot8 88t forth iKi YOUF 18tt8r 8FO ,iU8UftiO~8Ilt 88 8 mtt8r Ot Of th8 d8r8&8nt for th8 l8r t0 8Wt8iXh 8 OOnViOtiO!h Orr8n88 Of 'Off8ring t0 pr8OttO8 8nUine8rirylem
Very trulf your8 XJTORREY GEl7EAAL OF TEXAS