What is a 'conversion' under tort law?

What is a 'conversion' under tort law?

Michael Ehline (Attorney at Law) gives expert video advice on: What is an 'intentional tort'?; What are common law intentional torts?; What is 'battery' under English common law? and more...

The tort of conversion is where someone actually converts your property to their own use. It's similar to a trespass to a chattel, except that in the tort of conversion, the property is completely dominated and maintained and it's never going to be returned and therefore it has been converted. And because of that, you are allowed to sue for the full value of that property. Oftentimes if the property is not transferred to a bonafide purchaser for value, you can still go ahead and get a court order to get the property back.