inherent vice

English

Noun

inherent vice (usually uncountable, plural inherent vices)

1. (commercial law) An intrinsic shortcoming in an object, especially an object's in-built tendency to degrade, which adversely affects its evaluation, preservability, insurability, or acceptability to be transported by a shipper, and which usually limits the legal liability of those who handle or care for it.
   • 1988 February 21, Thomas C. Albro II, “Books and their Enemies Caring for your Library”, in Washington Post, retrieved 17 July 2015:

     Leather, badly tanned, is susceptible to deterioration from inherent vice induced by poor quality manufacturing.

   • 2011 June 23, Locke Lord LLP, “Supreme Court confirms reduced scope of inherent vice exclusions”, in lexology.com, retrieved 17 July 2015:

     [T]he insurance was stated to cover “all risks of loss or damage” except that “caused by inherent vice or nature of the subject matter covered”.

   • 2012 October 8, Karl Grech Orr, “Carrier responsible for all damages during shipment”, in Times of Malta, retrieved 17 July 2015:

     The court also considered these principles in the context of the CMR Rules, in particular articles 3, 17 and 18.
     Article17.2. The carrier shall, however, be relieved of liability if the loss, damage or delay was caused by the wrongful act or neglect of the claimant, by the instructions of the claimant given otherwise than as the result of a wrongful act or neglect on the part of the carrier, by inherent vice of the goods or through circumstances which the carrier could not avoid and the consequences of which he was unable to prevent.

   • 2014 October 23, Roberta Smith, “Art & Design: Genieve Figgis: ‘Good Morning, Midnight’”, in New York Times, retrieved 17 July 2015:

     Ms. Figgis favors rich colors that bubble, ooze and marbleize as if alive. Her scenes . . . frequently feature daffy but spectral creatures and leering ghouls with top hats and canes. The art conservationist’s term “inherent vice” describes both the instability of the images and the general sense of the macabre.

Further reading

• “inherent vice”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.