Forgeries (Fraud and bills of lading.) A modern case may help to introduce the problems that can arise and identify some of the important issues. A sale contract requires the cargo to be loaded and bills of lading to be dated no later than 15 July. The loading is actually completed on 26 July. The bills of lading, signed and issued by the shipowner’s port agents, are nevertheless dated 15 July, indicating that the goods were loaded on that date and not later. The buyers are unaware of the false dating and accept the bills of lading. The late shipment would have been a breach of the sale contract and the buyers would have been justified in rejecting the documents and the goods. The buyers claim damages from the shipowners for misrepresentation. The court in The Saudi Crown, 1986, held the owners liable. In discussing the agents’ wrongful issue of the falsely dated bills of lading, the judge said: