[Request for Review of Claims Group Disallowance of Refund Claim]

A common carrier requested review of the Claims Group's disallowance of its claim for refund of an amount recovered by the Navy for damage to a Naval officer's table. The carrier had noted that the table was damaged at origin. However, the Navy claimed repair costs from the carrier and the amount was recovered by setoff. To hold a common carrier liable for damage in transit, a shipper must show that the transported goods were in better condition when received by the carrier at origin than when delivered by the carrier. Since the evidence presented failed to establish that additional damage occurred to the table while it was in the custody of the carrier, GAO found that the carrier was not liable for the preexisting damage. Accordingly, the claim was allowed.