Two Massachusetts families filed separate civil lawsuits against a Rockport, Massachusetts architect, alleging he misled them regarding his experience and qualifications, created designs that exceeded their budgets, and significantly delayed progress on their building projects.
It is alleged that there were delays in delivering plans to build a home on a 34-acre mountainside property, and plaintiffs seek $95,996 in restitution. A second suit, filed in 2023, seeks damages from the architect and his firm for work on a redesign of a home overlooking the Kennebec River.
Both lawsuits contain allegations the architect embellished his qualifications by suggesting on his LinkedIn profile that he studied architecture at Cornell University, an Ivy League school, and by citing credentials that gave the impression he was licensed to practice architecture in Massachusetts. That included an email signature and architectural plans that referenced a Boston office, as well as biographical information suggesting he had worked on Faneuil Hall in Boston.
The plaintiffs claim that the architect did not receive his license through "education and testing," but rather through an alternative mechanism in which another architect - in this case, his architect father - attested to his skill and experience. In one of the suits, the plaintiffs suggested that the defendant may also have borrowed the biographical detail about working on projects in Massachusetts from his late father.
Both sets of plaintiffs claimed they factored their impressions of the architect's credentials into their views that his firm was duly qualified and that without this information, they would not have hired him to design their projects.
The architect has an active architecture license in Maine with no disciplinary actions on record. His attorney denied the allegations, stating the architect did not inflate his qualifications or have any intention to do so. He did attend Cornell University but did not graduate from it. He stated that the defendant never claimed to practice architecture in Massachusetts, and there is one person at his firm qualified to practice in Massachusetts. Jules Walkup, "2 lawsuits accuse Maine architect of embellishing record" www.bangordailynews.com. (Feb. 09, 2025).
Commentary
Whether this architect was overselling his credentials or fairly describing the extent of his background is a jury question, but it does serve as a reminder as to the importance of certifications.
The American Institute of Architects, a professional standards-setting organization, sets out its reasons for licensing.
The purpose of licensing is to protect the public, as in design, architects preemptively save lives, promote health, and demonstrably increase well-being in the built environment.?Diminishing the requirements for the professional licensure of architects is risky; the stakes are simply too high. AIA strongly opposes any efforts to reduce or remove requirements for the professional licensing of architects.
As licensed architects, the AIA advocates the following principles.
The health, safety, and welfare of the public depend on having licensed, continually educated architects.
State licensing boards are crucial to maintaining professional accountability and guarding against unlicensed professionals.?
AIA works to uphold professional licensure in all 54 states and territories.
License portability for architects protects consumers in times of disaster. When an architect's license is portable to more than one state, architects can provide mutual aid in a declared disaster that exceeds the state's capacity to respond.
