Grays Harbor County v. Bay City Lumber Co.
Washington Supreme Court
289 P.2d 975 (1955)
Loggers unknowingly cut trees belonging to Grays Harbor County (plaintiff), then sold and delivered the timber to Bay City Lumber (defendant), which was likewise unaware the timber had been illegally taken; the timber was worth $8 per thousand board feet when originally cut but $35 per thousand board feet by the time it reached Bay City in processed form. Grays Harbor sued Bay City for conversion, and the trial court awarded damages based on the timber's enhanced value at the time Bay City received it.
Whether, when an original conversion is willful, damages against a subsequent converter are based on the converted property's market value at the time and place the subsequent converter first took control of it.