Interference With Belongings:

Question: What’s the difference between conversion, detinue, and trespass to chattels in Ontario, and when should I talk to a paralegal?

Answer: In Ontario, conversion is a serious wrongful dealing with your personal property that denies your ownership rights, detinue is refusing to return property you’re entitled to possess, and trespass to chattels is lesser interference that causes loss or damage without full denial of ownership.   Access Ontario Legal Services provides Ontario paralegal services to help assess which claim fits your situation, gather evidence, and pursue the appropriate civil remedy for wrongful possession or interference with belongings.

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.