B.C. woman awarded $5K after mink stole damaged at cleaners
A B.C. woman whose mink stole was damaged "beyond repair" by a cleaning business has been awarded $5,000 by the province's civil resolution tribunal.
The dispute dates back to 2019 and the decision was posted online last Thursday. Maryam Ossanlou claimed that she took the stole to be cleaned at a business called Highlands Cleaners where a malfunctioning machine destroyed the fur.
The business did not disagree with this fact, according to the tribunal member Nav Shukla's decision, but rather argued that Ossanlou overvalued the item and was already offered and rejected a fair settlement. The amount of that settlement was not specified.
"It is undisputed that the fur stole was damaged beyond repair," the decision says.
An appraisal of the item done by a furrier identified by the initials "TT" was done in support of Ossanlou's claim. The appraiser based the assessed $5,000 value on photos submitted of the item before it was damaged and described it as "a natural violet male mink stole made out of approximately seven to nine top quality male mink skins," the tribunal said.
The business argued that the appraisal should be disregarded because the true value of the fur could not be established without a receipt or an in-person examination of the item in its "original condition," but Ossanlou countered that by saying she was given the item as a gift in 2005 and that the furrier did inspect what remained of the stole.
"The respondent says that since the applicant did not provide a proof of purchase, TT’s appraisal does not have merit. The respondent also says that since TT did not examine the fur stole itself and based their appraisal on pictures and a description provided by the applicant, the appraisal is not reliable," Shakla wrote.
In support of the claim that the fur should be valued at a significantly lower amount, the business provided screenshots of stoles for sale online ranging in price from $129.99 to $2,200. Ossanlou also provided screenshots of mink coats ranging in price from $4,999.94 to $7,874.94.
Shakla disregarded all of this, saying "I am unable to determine based on the screen shot listings how the fur items in those listings compare to the applicant’s fur stole in terms of quality."
In the end and on a balance of probabilities, the tribunal accepted the furrier's appraisal as "the most reliable evidence" of the garment's value.
In addition to $5,000 for the damaged fur stole, Ossanlou was awarded an $396.18 as combined reimbursement for pre-judgment interest and tribunal costs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.