A bailment is created when personal property is delivered (without title) under an agreement that the property be returned to the bailor or otherwise disposed of according to its ownerÆs directions. Bailments involving tangible items (jewelry, cattle, automobiles, etc.) are more frequent than bailments of intangible personal property (promissory notes, shares of stock, etc.).
A bill of lading is a special kind of bailment. Any commercial transaction may involve a shipment or storage of goods covered by a bill of lading, a warehouse receipt, or a delivery order. These documents of title are subject to Article 7 of the UCC. To be a document of title, a document ômust purport to be issued by or addressed to a bailee and purport to cover goods in the baileeÆs possession which are either identified or are fungible portions of an identified massö [UCC 7û102(1)(e)]. |