Which tort involves the wrongful taking or control of someone else’s property?

• A. Conversion
• B. Trespass to Land
• C. Battery
• D. Assault

Answer: (A)

Conversion tests the idea of wrongful taking or control of someone else’s personal property. It happens when a person exercises dominion over another’s chattel in a way that seriously interferes with the owner’s rights—think taking, using for your own purposes, selling, or damaging the item, so the owner is deprived of possession or use. Returning the item after a casual use or with permission generally isn’t conversion because it doesn’t deprive the owner of rights. This is different from trespass to land, which centers on entering or remaining on real property rather than handling personal belongings. It also differs from battery or assault, which involve harming or threatening a person, not property.