Conversion

Category: legal

The intentional exercise of dominion or control over another person’s personal property that seriously interferes with their rights.

Conversion is the civil equivalent of theft. It isn’t just "borrowing" without asking; it is taking an item with the intention of never returning it or using it in a way that destroys its value. The defendant is essentially forced to "buy" the item from the victim.

Common Examples

• Selling the client’s specialized industrial machinery to a scrap yard without authorization is a clear-cut case of conversion.
• The conversion tort requires the defendant to pay the full market value of the goods at the time they were misappropriated.