Conversion is a tort involving serious interference with another person’s personal property.
Why conversion matters
Conversion matters because it protects ownership and possessory rights in personal property. When interference is serious enough, the law may treat the defendant as having effectively taken control of the property and require payment of its value.
Conversion often arises in business, storage, equipment, vehicle, banking, and personal-property disputes.
Where conversion appears
Conversion appears in civil complaints, demand letters, insurance disputes, secured-transaction conflicts, and lawsuits over property that was taken, withheld, sold, damaged, or misused.
Practical example
A repair shop refuses to return a customer’s equipment and sells it without authority. The customer may assert conversion if the interference with ownership was serious enough.
How conversion differs from nearby terms
Conversion differs from trespass to chattels because conversion usually involves more serious interference. It differs from theft because theft is a criminal offense, while conversion is a civil tort.
Related terms
Quick knowledge check
Why might conversion result in damages based on the property’s full value rather than only a small loss of use?