WI · jury_instructions
Wis JI-Civil 2200.1
Conversion: Refusal to Return Upon Demand (Refusal by Bailee)
A conversion is committed by a person who, without justification, refuses to surrender
possession of property to one who is entitled to it. Before you may find that (defendant)
committed a conversion of the property belonging to (owner), (plaintiff) must establish:
1. that (defendant), who had lawfully come into possession of the property,
refused to surrender it to (owner) after (owner) demanded that the property be
returned;
2. that (owner) was entitled to the return of the property; and
3. that the withholding of the property by (defendant) seriously interfered with
the right of (owner) to control and use the property.
A refusal by a person to return the property because of a legitimate reason and for a
reasonable length of time after demand is not a conversion. In addition, a person is not
required to comply with a demand made at an unreasonable time or place, or in an
unreasonable manner, or upon an employee who has no authority to return the property. [In
addition, a person may in good faith detain property for a reasonable time to identify (owner)
or to determine (owner)'s right to possession.]
History
Wis JI-Civil 2200.1 (1993). ©1993, Regents, Univ. of Wis. Prepared by the Wisconsin Civil Jury Instructions Committee of the Wisconsin Judicial Conference with the University of Wisconsin Law School; posted by the Wisconsin State Law Library with the University's permission.
Provenance
- Source
- wilawlibrary.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-09-24
- Edition
- 2026-09-24
- Content hash
9546dc5ced01bf158825faf3143bca06dc91f9f8dab8fb25571bfc5279a31c5e
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