by Arleen Roberts

Article 14

If you are requested to provide information/evidence or appear for a professional standards proceeding or investigation, you must fully cooperate. This means providing everything asked for, in your possession when asked, not days later after you have purchased and tried out your new shredder.

When summoned to appear you must appear, and also answer all questions asked. Do not confuse these proceedings with a legal proceeding. You cannot “plead the 5th”.  Attempting to intimidate the party that filed the complaint also violates the code by obstruction, and is just plain wrong. Let’s rise above that. Let’s follow the code. In fact let’s follow it so we don’t even get to this point.

Read below for the full Article 14 of the REALTOR® Code of Ethics

Article 14 (Case Interpretations for Article 14)

If charged with unethical practice or asked to present evidence or to cooperate in any other way, in any professional standards proceeding or investigation, REALTORS® shall place all pertinent facts before the proper tribunals of the Member Board or affiliated institute, society, or council in which membership is held and shall take no action to disrupt or obstruct such processes. (Amended 1/99) [listen]

• Standard of Practice 14-1

REALTORS® shall not be subject to disciplinary proceedings in more than one Board of REALTORS® or affiliated institute, society or council in which they hold membership with respect to alleged violations of the Code of Ethics relating to the same transaction or event. (Amended 1/95)

• Standard of Practice 14-2

REALTORS® shall not make any unauthorized disclosure or dissemination of the allegations, findings, or decision developed in connection with an ethics hearing or appeal or in connection with an arbitration hearing or procedural review. (Amended 1/92)

• Standard of Practice 14-3

REALTORS® shall not obstruct the Board’s investigative or professional standards proceedings by instituting or threatening to institute actions for libel, slander or defamation against any party to a professional standards proceeding or their witnesses based on the filing of an arbitration request, an ethics complaint, or testimony given before any tribunal. (Adopted 11/87, Amended 1/99)

• Standard of Practice 14-4

REALTORS® shall not intentionally impede the Board’s investigative or disciplinary proceedings by filing multiple ethics complaints based on the same event or transaction. (Adopted 11/88)