Breaking bulk (law)

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In law, breaking bulk is the act of removing something from a package or parcel, or in any way destroying its entirety. It was thus important in connection with the subject of bailment, involving as it did the curious distinction that where a bailee received possession of goods in a box or package, and then sold them as a whole, he was guilty only of a breach of trust, but if he "broke bulk" or caused a separation of the goods, and sold a part or all, he was guilty of felony. This distinction was abolished by the Larceny Act 1861, which enacted that whoever, being a bailee of any chattel, money or valuable security, should fraudulently take or convert the same to his own use, or the use of any person other than the owner, although he should not break bulk or otherwise determine the bailment, should be guilty of larceny (s. 3). [1]

Breaking bulk may be used for bulk material ordered broken up in part shipment and shipped to location in different cargo.

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<i>J Spurling Ltd v Bradshaw</i>

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Larceny Act 1916 United Kingdom legislation

The Larceny Act 1916 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Its purpose was to consolidate and simplify the law relating to larceny triable on indictment and to kindred offences.

Larceny Act 1861 United Kingdom legislation

The Larceny Act 1861 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It consolidated provisions related to larceny and similar offences from a number of earlier statutes into a single Act. For the most part these provisions were, according to the draftsman of the Act, incorporated with little or no variation in their phraseology. It is one of a group of Acts sometimes referred to as the Criminal Law Consolidation Acts 1861. It was passed with the object of simplifying the law. It is essentially a revised version of an earlier consolidation Act, the Larceny Act 1827, incorporating subsequent statutes.

Commonwealth v. Tluchak, 166 Pa. Super. 16, 70 A.2d 657 (1950). Judge Reno wrote the opinion of the Court. This in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the United States case involves defendants convicted of larceny.

References

  1. Wikisource-logo.svg One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain : Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Breaking Bulk". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.