Interference With Belongings: Conversion, Detinue, and Trespass to Chattels

Question: What’s the difference between conversion, detinue, and trespass to chattels in Ontario?

Answer: Conversion is a civil claim about serious interference with your ownership rights over personal property (for example, someone treats your belongings as their own), detinue is about someone wrongfully keeping your property and refusing to return it when demanded, and trespass to chattels covers lesser interference or direct meddling with your belongings even if you still have possession.  For Ontario residents, Success.Legal™ in the Legal Profession Ecosystem can help you organize facts, preserve evidence, and connect you with appropriate legal resources for next steps, but it doesn’t provide legal advice.

Understanding Conversion, Detinue, and Trespass to Chattels

Tortion misconduct related to personal property, meaning property that is other than real property being land, encompasses rights and responsibilities around possession and ownership.  In the context of the torts of conversion, of detinue, and of trespass to property, as civil law causes of action (reasons for suing) being the legal mechanisms for addressing wrongful possession or wrongful interference.  Recognizing the nuances of these torts is necessary to the safeguarding of proprietary interests and to ensuring rightful ownership and use of property.