The Warehouse Receipts Law

A warehouse receipt is a written acknowledgement by a warehouseman

that he has received and held certain goods therein described in store for
the person to whom it is issued.
A warehouseman is the person lawfully engaged in the business of storing
goods for compensation for such service.
To whom Delivered:
Upon demand made by the holder of the recipt or depositor provided such
demand is accompanied by:
1. an offer to satisfy WHMan's lien;
2. an offer to surrender receipt; and
3. a readiness and willingness to sign. (Sec. 8)
Kinds:
Negotiable - if deliverable to order or to bearer;
Non-negotiable - if deliverable to a specified person. It must be stamped,
otherwise warehouseman is liable to person believing it to be negotiable.
Conflicting Claims - remedy of a warehouseman is to file an action for
interpleader.
Warehouseman's Lien - this is effective on the goods deposited which
operates as a retaining lien until his charges are paid. The lien is lost (a) by
surrender of goods, and (b) refusal to deliver goods when demand is proper.
Remedies Available to WHMan to Enforce his WHMan's Lien:
1. To refuse to deliver the goods until his lien is satisfied.
2. To sell the goods and apply the proceeds thereof to the value of the lien.
3. To institute an action for collection judicially.
Lawful Reasons or Justifications for a WHMan's refusal to Deliver the Goods:
1. The conditions prescribed in Sec. 8 of Art. 2137 was not satisfied by the
holder of the receipt.

2. The WHMan has legal title in himself on the goods either through transfer
or satisfaction of WHMan's lien.
3. The WHMan has legally set-up the title or right of third persons as lawful
defense for non-delivery of goods.
4. The WHMan has a lien valid against the person claiming the goods.
5. The failure was not due to any fault on the part of the WHMan such as
calamity and fortuitoud event.
Distinction between Negotiable Instrument and Negotiable Warehouse
Receipt
1. as to alteration - NI becomes null and void while NWR is still valid but
enforceable only in accordance with its original tenor.
2. if originally payable to bearer - in NI it will always remain payable to
bearer reagrdless of the way it is endorsed, whether specially or in blank
while in NWR if it is payable to bearer endorsed specially, it will be converted
into receipt deliverable to order and can only be negotiated further by
indorsement and delivery.
3. as to rights of holder - in NI, a holder in due course may be able to obtain
the title better than which the party negotiated the instrument to him had,
while in NWR, the endorsee, even if holder in due course, obtains only such
title as the person negotiating had over the goods.