Scenario
It is 2020, and General Foryota Company opens a plant in which tobuild a new mass-produced hover-craft. This hover-craft will workusing E-85 Ethanol, will travel up to 200 mph, and will reducepollution worldwide at a rate of 10 percent per year. It is likelythat when all automobiles in the industrial world have been changedover to hovercrafts, emission of greenhouse gasses may be soreduced that global warming may end and air quality will becomecompletely refreshed.
However, the downsideis that during the transition time, GFC's Hover-Vee (only availablein red or black), will most likely put all transportation as weknow it in major dissaray. Roadways will no longer be necessary,but new methods of controlling traffic will be required. Further,while the old version of cars are still being used, Hover-vee'swill cause accidents, parking issues, and most likely class envyand warfare. The sticker price on the first two models will beabout four times that of the average SUV (to about $200,000.) Evenso, GFC's marketing futurists have let them know that they will beable to pre-sell their first three years of expected production,with a potential waiting list which will take between 15 and 20years to fill.
The Chief Engineer(CE) of GFC commissions a study on potential liabilities for theHover-vees. The preliminary result is that Hover-vees will likelykill or maim humans at an increased rate of double to triple overautomobile travel because of collisions and crashes at high speeds-- projected annual death rates of 100,000 to 200,000. However,global warming will end, and the environment will flourish.
The U. S. Governmentgets wind of the plans. Congress begins to discuss the rules on whocan own and operate Hover-vees. GFC's stock skyrockets. The ChiefEngineer takes the results of the study to the Chief Legal Counsel(CLC), and together they agree to bury the study, going forwardwith the production plans. The Chief Project Manager (CPM), who hasread the study and agreed to bury it, goes ahead and plans out theproject for the company, with target dates and productiondeadlines.
Our class is a team ofyoung lawyers, project managers, engineers, and congressional aideswho are all part of the process of helping get this project off theground. In fact, according to the first letter of yourlast name, you are the following team:
- A-G: Attorney on the GFC team
- H-N: Project Manager on the GFC team
- 0-S: Engineer on the GFC team
- T-Z: Congressional Aide
Somebody sent a secretcopy of the report to you at your home address. It has noinformation in it at all, except for the report showing the proofof the increase in accidents and deaths. The report shows, on itsface, that the CE, CLC, CPM, and your Congressional Representativehave seen copies of this report. On the front there are these wordstyped in red: They knew — they buried this. Please save theworld!
Each of you feel avery loyal tie to your boss and your company/country. You all havemortgages, and families to feed. It is likely if you blow thewhistle on this report, you will lose your job and your livelihood.You're not even sure who wrote the study in your envelope or whoactually sent it to you.
Upon studying the issue, you determine the source of themessage that set you on the trail! The Source is Trace Velvet, aworker on the project that was fired for gross incompetence. Asnear as you can tell, the firing was deserved. This could be an actof revenge, or a demonstration ofsaid incompetence. But you have no evidence that the informationyou have received was false. It may well point out a real problem.How does this change your responses?
