In this case, the defendant, Archibald Moving & Storage Ltd., was in the business of operating a warehouse and storage facility. The plaintiff stored goods in the defendant’s warehouse. A fire, which was found to be accidental, destroyed the warehouse, including the plaintiff’s goods. Investigations revealed that the building had no smoke detectors, sprinkler system, fire doors, or fire alarms. Also, there were no security personnel to monitor the facilities. In the end, a court decided that the defendant Archibald Moving and Storage Ltd. was liable as a bailee to the plaintiffs and also liable to the plaintiffs under the Warehouse Receipt Act, R.S.B.C. 1979, c. 428. This paper examines the facts, issue, decision and reasoning of this case. It also details the impact of this case on business today as well as gives specific, proactive business strategies extracted from the “lesson of the law” or the “consequences of the case”.
