My former roommate took of all my belongings with him when he moved out of our house. How do I go about getting my stuff back?

If this needs to be handled in civil court then, as previous counsel mentioned, you could sue for conversion. Conversion is the act of one person taking someone else's property in such a way that they deny the owner possession of it and use the property without legal authority to do so (paraphrasing). The beautiful thing about conversion, is that it allows you to collect triple damages. Under this scenario, the law would allow you to go after your former roommate not only for the value of the property, but potentially to be awareded 3 times the amount of the value.

You cannot get damages for pain and suffering, but you may be able to get triple damages, for conversion of the assets. I suspect this person is not expecting you will challenge him on this. Since the value of the suit is over $5k, you will need to file in district court instead of small claims court.

Best of luck to you!

James Frederick

***Please be sure to mark if you find the answer "helpful" or a "best" answer. Thank you! I hope this helps. ***************************************** LEGAL DISCLAIMER I am licensed to practice law in the State of Michigan and have offices in Wayne and Ingham Counties. My practice is focused in the areas of estate planning and probate administration. I am ethically required to state that the above answer does not create an attorney/client relationship. These responses should be considered general legal education and are intended to provide general information about the question asked. Frequently, the question does not include important facts that, if known, could significantly change the answer. Information provided on this site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed attorney that practices in your state. The law changes frequently and varies from state to state. If I refer to your state's laws, you should not rely on what I say; I just did a quick Internet search and found something that looked relevant that I hoped you would find helpful. You should verify and confirm any information provided with an attorney licensed in your state. I hope you our answer helpful!

If the property can be identified as yours and he knowingly took (stole) it, it is a crime and he can be made to return it to you either through the prosecutor's office or through civil litigation.

So there is no misunderstanding, this answer does not create an attorney/client relationship and you cannot presume that I am your lawyer or that my advice can be relied upon in any way other than for information only. You will not become my client unless and until you retain me.