As I said a few years back, always check the airlines condition of carriage. Airlines cannot limit liability for damaged or lost luggage on international (or intra-EU, including domestic) flights.
It is best to claim immediately, but they are still liable if you only discover the damage later. Be persistent, they are liable up to the maximums set out in the Montreal Convention 1999 (MC99) which has been incorporated into European law.
MC99 is a deal - airlines cannot limit liability, but their liability is capped.