Could someone who stole and/or damaged my artwork be prosecuted and how?

Question

I know it's againts the law to rob from a store or steal someone's valuable belongings and/or money, and it's illegal to destroy someone's land or property (obviously there are big laws against arson). But what if someone stole something that was really only valuable to you, like artwork that you made and my not be something expensive or big, but is obviously something that you just can't go and "buy" another one at the store if you were to lose it or if it got destroyed? What if a person (even if that person didn't steal the work or break and enter the home) destroyed an art peice that belonged to somebody else; can that person be held legally accountable and would calling the police after an inccident like that be appropriate?

Answer 1

Charge would be Malicious Mischief or Vandalism. You can certainly call the police and file charges. Recently, a case was tried in some state (can't remember where) in which some malcontent slashed a painting at an art show that he found offensive. The artist claimed the painting was worth thousands but he was an unproven artist (hadn't sold anything yet) so the court set a value on the painting based on the cost of the materials plus labor at the minimum wage rate.

Answer 2

well you may be able to get redress under criminal, tort and property law

criminal: larceny (theft in the US)- it doesnt matter what it was: if it was yours and they removed it from your posession, then it will be made out, but it needs to be valuable in the eyes of the law- (i.e not rubbish or something that you have abandoned (as opposed to lost) )it will be considered to have been stolen if taken without consent or with no good claim to it

tort law/property-

tresspass to property= you can make them give it back or pay damages because they had utilised it (eg, a crane over your property is a tresspass as is a tresspasser- applies to goods as well)

conversion: if they destroyed the property or changed its ature in some way - damages

so whether they broke in and stole or not, is irrelevant - the fact that they damaged your property will be a conversion of property- eg: they ate your lunch lol. (i havent studied this in detail though- my examples are stupid)

DEtinue: make them give it back...


you should def call the police- its your right and its your first point of contact with the law- they are the part of executive arm of govt

get legal advice, im not sure what kind of damages you will get- im just doing this stuff now- and it differs from place to place

there are small claims courts u may attend to,- cheap and fast

Answer 3

no longer something. regrettably those mastercard businesses are stupid and wont prosecute someone in the experience that they spend below some thousand funds. those human beings are probable costing a similar corporation thousands of funds a year because i'm positive in the experience that they did it to you a similar individual has stolen extra human beings's charge playing cards. All you could do is contact the credit corporation and close the account and characteristic a sparkling account issued. Then contact the police and record a record. and make contact with the credit bureaus to have those expenditures taken off your historic previous.

Answer 4

Yes. Call the police and file a complaint. It is your property. People cannot just damage or steal it. It does not have to be listed in a catalog to have value to you. It may be / probably is irreplaceable.

Answer 5

File a case of theft for someone who stole an artwork. For someone who damaged your artwork, you can file a case of malicious mischief plus claim for actual damages to the artwork.

Answer 6

They might be guilty of "malicious mischief". More probably you would have to take them to small claims court if there is a value you can assign to the art.

Answer 7

You can sue them for "Emotional Damages"

Answer 8

Only if you had it copywrited beforehand...