a. On April 1, Mary Rich, at the solicitation of Super Fur Company, delivered a $13,000 mink coat to the company at its place of business for storage in its vaults until November 1. On the same day, she paid the company its customary charge of $50 for such storage. After Mary left the store, the general manager of the company, on finding that its storage vaults were already filled to capacity, delivered Mary’s coat to Swift Trucking Company for shipment to Fur Storage Company. En route, the truck in which Mary’s coat was being transported was badly damaged by fire caused by the driver’s negligence, and Mary’s coat was totally destroyed. Is Super Fur Company liable to Mary for the value of her coat? Why or why not?
b. Would your answer be the same if Mary’s coat had been safely delivered to Fur Storage Company and had been stolen from the company’s storage vaults without negligence on its part? Why or why not?