Shipping company, Toll Holdings has been held accountable for the thousands of televisions, worth $1.8 million, in Dick Smith warehouses.
On January 5, the day of the retailer’s collapse, Chinese company Shenzhen MTC, demanded to hold delivery of the TVs in fear of not getting paid. However, two days later, Toll allowed Dick Smith’s cartage and container contractor to collect the shipment and take it to customs bonded warehouses.
MTC’s invoiced price for the 14 containers was $US1.3 million ($1.8 million). In the Federal Court in Sydney on Tuesday, Justice Steven Rares found that MTC was entitled to claim damages from Toll for the loss of the goods, with the value of that to be assessed.
Toll also brought MTC, Dick Smith and its receivers to court in an attempt to settle who should get the goods. Justice Steven Rares found Dick Smith should get the TVs.
Dick Smith started buying electronics from MTC in late 2014 and 17 containers loaded with televisions, some carrying Dick Smith labels, landed at Australian ports in late December 2015.
This story first appeared in Appliance Retailer.