Paullin Law Blog

Property conversion: Know your rights

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Conversion Law

Conversion occurs when one individual asserts a claim (or dominion and control) over the property of another without justification or excuse. If a person retains possession of property after someone else has demanded its return, their refusal to cooperate constitutes conversion of the property in question. Regardless of the converter's intent to use, damage, or simply withhold the converted property, he has violated the rights of the property owner.

Bonding Off Tractor Trailer

The driver of a tractor-trailer, for example, has been granted custody of his or her cargo by a shipper. If the tractor-trailer is towed from the highway, the tower may have a lien on the vehicle for the value of his services. In other words, the tower has a certain right to retain the shipper's property until the debt for his services is paid. However, some towers refuse to release cargo even when they have no right to do so. If a tower continues to withhold cargo after the rightful owner has demanded its return, he has wrongfully converted the cargo.

Cargo conversion is a form of theft

The experts at Paullin Law Firm know your rights -- if you have experienced property conversion, let us recover what is rightfully yours. Contact our attorneys at (804) 423-7423 for personal, practical, and aggressive representation.


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Paullin profiled in Virginia Lawyers Weekly

Friday, October 22, 2010
Defense attorney Mark Paullin successfully defended a tractor trailer driver in a recent case with a jury verdict of $185,000 against a demand of $500,000.  See the recent article as published in Virginia Lawyers Weekly.  The plaintiff claimed lost wages, personal injury, and loss of earning capacity.  The trial was held in the Norfolk Circuit Court in Virginia.