Here’s another ethical issue and Jewish source response:

Case

David was in college.  He rented a room from Mrs. Schwartz.  The two of them worked out a deal. David would schlep his laundry and her laundry to the laundromat and back.  Mrs. Schwartz would do all the laundry. David thought it was great, almost the deal that he and his father had during high school.  That afternoon David picked up a bag that had been left for him on the back porch. He only made a few stops along the way. The rain didn’t bother him that much.  And because the laundry was going to be washed, it didn’t matter if it got soaked. It didn’t matter except that Mrs. Schwartz had packed the colored things on top, and they bled down into her whites.  She tried bleaching out everything she could but some things were ruined. She said, “David should pay for the ruined clothes because he was careless.” David said, “She didn’t warn me that there was a need to be careful.  I am sorry, but it is not my fault.”  

Answer

[a] Rabbi Solomon ben Simon Duran once solved a similar case.  In his case a man transported wool goods on his donkeys. The dyed goods were on the first donkey, the white goods on the second donkey.  When they hit the river the dye spread onto the white goods and ruined them.  

Rabbi Duran, the Rashbash, ruled that the donkey driver was responsible because he was entrusted to get the goods to market.  When one is entrusted, one is responsible for all negligence (Bava Metzia 82b).

[b] Rabbi Meir said: “If a person moved a barrel for a neighbor from one place to another and in doing so broke it, whether he was paid or not he has to replace the barrel unless he takes an oath that the breakage was not a matter of negligence.”  Rabbi Judah ruled: “An unpaid person must swear; a paid person is responsible.”  

When the rain started David should have checked the bag to see what could be ruined.  He is responsible.

Joel Grishaver, “You Be the Judge”, pgs. 87-88

Used with permission from Joel Grishaver