What does conversion refer to in legal terms?

In legal terms, conversion refers to the wrongful deprivation of someone else's personal property. This means that when an individual exercises control over someone else's property without permission, they are essentially taking away the owner's rights to that property. It encompasses situations where someone may take or use another person’s property in a way that is inconsistent with the owner's rights, leading to a loss for the owner.

Conversion can occur regardless of the intent behind the action; even if the person who took the property did not intend to permanently deny the owner the use of their property, the action still constitutes conversion. The focus is on the unauthorized use or control over the property that results in harm to the owner.

In contrast, the other options involve different legal concepts or do not accurately define conversion. For example, unauthorized deletion of documents might relate to data loss or destruction but does not specifically encapsulate the idea of wrongful possession. Misuse of borrowed property refers to using property in a manner not agreed upon but does not necessarily qualify as conversion, which is more about ownership rights. Lastly, donating goods to charity is a positive action and is unrelated to the concept of conversion, which is focused on the wrongful deprivation of property.