Here is a story from Texas.  Prominent engineer’s downfall:  negligence or conspiracy ?

"The former director of a city sewer program is suing several engineering firms and three Austin lobbyists, alleging that they conspired to get him fired.

Bill Moriarty previously led the Austin Clean Water Program, the city’s $200 million effort to fix old sewer lines by 2009 to avoid federal fines. He was fired in 2005 after a city investigation concluded that he should have disclosed that a woman he lives with and is dating, Diane Hyatt, got work through the program.

Moriarty and Hyatt are suing six engineering firms and lobbyists David Armbrust, Cis Myers and former Austin Mayor Bruce Todd, who represent some of the firms.

The firms were seeking retaliation, the lawsuit says, because Moriarty streamlined Clean Water projects and the firms feared that they would lose money or contracts. Moriarty is also suing Armbrust and his law firm, Armbrust & Brown LLP, for legal malpractice. Armbrust helped negotiate Moriarty’s contract when he was hired for the Clean Water Program and later worked to get him fired, the lawsuit says.