The jewellery store, the faulty vacuum and the $2 million luxury suit payout

A high-end Brisbane men's store has won a $2 million lawsuit after its suits were smoke damaged by a fire which broke out at a nearby jewellery store in 2010 Mitchell Ogilvie Menswear, a luxury Italian suit store on Brisbane's Edward street, was this week awarded the payout from Rapid Edge Pty Ltd after the Supreme Court in Brisbane found the vacuum the company supplied to the jeweller caused the fire The blaze also left a pungent smell of smoke in the suits, many of which were purchased by Mr Ogilvie on trips to Europe.

"Some of the suits and other clothing looked worse than they had before cleaning as the sponging had smeared soot," the court heard Allianz then gave Mr Ogilvie's two options - hand over the salvaged stock and allow them to hold a bargain "Fire sale" or keep the smoke damaged suits and pay $225,000 Fearing his reputation as a luxury suit brand would be tarnished by a discount sale he had no control over, Mr Ogilvie paid the insurers a quarter of a million dollars and held his own bargain sale.

The court heard after offloading the smoke-damaged clothes at a heavily reduced price, Mr Ogilvie's business was not as strong as usual, as customers' suiting needs had already been met. . Source