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HRS §490:7-503When a document of title does not protect against earlier claims
A document of title, like a warehouse receipt or bill of lading, does not give you rights to goods if someone else already had a legal or secured interest in them before the document was issued, unless that person gave the bailor power to deal with the goods. Also, if you have title based on an unaccepted delivery order, it can be defeated by someone who holds a properly negotiated negotiable receipt or bill. A carrier that delivers according to its own bill of lading is free from its delivery duty.
businessesbuyerscreditorsdebtorsfinancial institutions
The statute, as written — Document of title to goods defeated in certain cases
(a) A document of title confers no right in goods against a person that before issuance of the document had a legal interest or a perfected security interest in the goods and that did not: (1) Deliver or entrust the goods or any document of title covering the goods to the bailor or the bailor's nominee with: (A) Actual or apparent authority to ship, store, or sell; (B) Power to obtain delivery under section 490:7-403; or (C) Power of disposition under section 490:2-403, 490:2A-304(2), 490:2A-305(2), 490:9-320, or 490:9-321(c) or other statute or rule of law; or (2) Acquiesce in the procurement by the bailor or its nominee of any document. (b) Title to goods based upon an unaccepted delivery order is subject to the rights of any person to which a negotiable warehouse receipt or bill of lading covering the goods has been duly negotiated. That title may be defeated under section 490:7-504 to the same extent as the rights of the issuer or a transferee from the issuer. (c) Title to goods based upon a bill of lading issued to a freight forwarder is subject to the rights of any person to which a bill issued by the freight forwarder is duly negotiated. However, delivery by the carrier in accordance with part 4 pursuant to its own bill of lading discharges the carrier's obligation to deliver.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026 Sections this one refers to
§490:2-403 When a buyer can get good ownership of goods
§490:7-403 When a storage or shipping company must hand over your goods
§490:7-504 What rights you get when goods are handed over without proper transfer
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.