Also known as: conversion · conversions
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A tort by which one who intentionally exercises dominion or control over a chattel in a manner that seriously interferes with the right of another to control it is liable to the other for the full value of the chattel.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Tanner Thompson contracted to buy a warehouse from Torchlight Media. Before closing the building's generator was intentionally dismantled and sold for scrap by the seller's agent. Tanner sued for the tort of conversion seeking the generator's full value.
Tonya Takahashi left her vintage car with Threshold Capital's repair shop for a tune-up. The shop's owner rebuilt the engine into a different model without permission. Tonya sued the shop for conversion of the original engine.
Tyler Taylor as trustee sold valuable paintings from a trust corpus to fund personal expenses. The remainder beneficiary sued Tyler for conversion of the chattels.
Tracy Torres contracted to sell a factory to Titan Industries. Before closing Tracy removed and destroyed specialized machinery that passed with the land under the contract. Titan sued Tracy for conversion of the machinery.
Tobias Thomas leased heavy cranes from TechVista Solutions for a six-week project. He kept and used the cranes on unrelated jobs for eight months. TechVista sued Tobias for conversion.
Thaddeus Tran contracted to sell farmland to a buyer. Before deed delivery Tran deliberately burned the standing wheat crop to avoid harvest costs. The buyer sued Tran for conversion of the crop.
Intentional destruction or material alteration of a chattel changes its identity and supports liability. Serious unauthorized use that violates the owner's right to control the chattel also qualifies.
No. The tort focuses on the interference with the plaintiff's right to control the chattel. The defendant need not gain personally from the act.
Conversion requires serious interference that justifies forcing a sale of the chattel to the defendant at full value. Trespass to chattels addresses lesser interferences remedied by damages for harm or loss of use.
…5 Taunt. 442, 128 Eng. Rep. 761 (C. P. 1814) (£500, said to be $165,000, for poaching). But amici apparently base their conversions on a mathematical assumption, namely, that inflation has progressed at a constant 3% rate of inflation. See Legal Historians' Brief 4. In fact, consistent, cumulative inflation is a modern…