Legal Definitions - conversion

Conversion is a type of legal wrongdoing that happens when someone takes someone else's personal property on purpose, with the intention of keeping it for themselves. This only applies to things like jewelry, electronics, or other physical objects that can be moved around. It doesn't apply to things like land or buildings.

When we say "intention," we mean that the person who took the property meant to take it and keep it. It doesn't matter if they knew who the property belonged to or not. For example, if someone finds a necklace on the ground and decides to sell it, even if they didn't know who it belonged to, they still committed conversion.

If someone is found guilty of conversion, they usually have to give the property back or pay the owner the fair market value of the property. For example, if someone stole a laptop worth $1000, they would have to either return the laptop or pay the owner $1000 to make up for it.

Example: Sarah goes to a party and accidentally leaves her phone on a table. Later, she realizes it's missing and asks around, but no one knows where it went. The next day, she sees a post on social media from someone who found a phone at the party and is selling it. Even though the person who found the phone didn't know it belonged to Sarah, they committed conversion by taking it and trying to sell it. They would have to give the phone back to Sarah or pay her the fair market value of the phone.

Example: John borrows his friend's bike for the day, but then decides he likes it so much that he's going to keep it. Even though John didn't steal the bike, he committed conversion by taking it with the intention of keeping it. He would have to give the bike back to his friend or pay the fair market value of the bike.