Breaking Bulk - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition breaking-bulk

Definition :

Breaking bulk, a term formerly used to signify the separation of goods in the hands of a bailee which made him liable for felony. Since the (English) Larceny Act, 1861, this distinction is immaterial, and remains so under the Larceny Act, 1916.

The expression 'breaking bulk' is an expression not unknown to legal terminology especially in England. In the Cyclopedic Law Dictionary, 3rd edn. 'breaking bulk' has been stated to mean that for a bailee to open a box or packaging entrusted to his custody and fraudulently appropriate its contents, HMM Ltd. v. Administrator, Bangalore City Corporation, AIR 1990 SC 47: (1989) 4 SCC 640.

Larceny by a bailee, esp. a carrier, who opens containers, removes item from them, and converts the items to personal use; Black's Law Dictionary, 7th Edn.