In late 2023, Air Canada faced a major lawsuit over a gold heist that happened in Toronto, as the airline was accused of acting recklessly. Well, a judge has now ruled, and I’d say the folks at Air Canada are probably pretty happy.
Continue reading: Air Canada Sued Over $15 Million Gold Heist, Ordered To Pay Only $13K
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"...and I’d say Air Canada got off kind of easy."
From your own posting it sounds like the judge followed the law to the letter by finding that Brinks failed to follow proper shipping guidelines and requirements for such a valuable shipment. AC didn't get off kind of easy - they were punished in accordance with the specific laws applicable and, apparently, to the full extent allowed. It's an interesting case, for sure, but your phrasing indicates you think the judge went easy on AC.
@ DCAWABN -- Totally fair, and that wasn't my intention. Let me update the post and rephrase.
Every cargo contract I've signed and AWB I've issued has very clear statements waiving liability beyond Montreal limits. Most even cite gold and other bullion as specific exemptions. If you signed a contract to ship valuable cargo and didn't specify excess value, you deserve what's coming to you for negligence. Plenty of shippers have paid millions of dollars in insurance and security costs to move this kind of stuff around the world, so trying to do this on the cheap and hope for the best will come back and bite you eventually.
A 400-kg shipment that has a volume of (just the gold) less than 6 gallons is worth US$15M. And Brinks scheduled a pick up for THE NEXT MORNING??? Guilty!!!
I guess they should have paid the extra to ship it via AC Secure
"All cargo is precious, but some high-value items require unique handling. AC Secure ensures the safe and secure transportation of specific commodities including goods with a declared value of CAD/USD $1,000 per kilogram or more"
Sounds like the problem is the law itself that is design to let companies get off easy
$15 Million in gold bars, and Brinks takes its sweet time deciding to pick up the next day. Would it have killed them to have the pickup team ready and waiting for immediate pickup after it was cleared?! AC is a crap airline and clearly at fault, but Brinks' lackadaisical approach is beyond staggering. These two companies deserve each other.
That is why there are codes like PER, HUM, VAL that indicated special treatment for which u have to pay and includes special treatment based on code. U don’t pay and declare , tough luck. They have Warsaw Convention for a reason.