Personal property · North Carolina
the short answer
You have three years to sue for taking, detaining, converting or injuring your goods, and that same three years covers asking for the thing itself back. Where what happened was a larceny or an embezzlement, North Carolina adds a separate claim carrying attorney's fees, and you do not need anyone to have been charged or convicted to bring it.
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governing statute
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penalty
The value of what was taken, plus consequential damages of at least $150 and at most $3,000, plus punitive damages and reasonable attorney's fees. It applies to larceny, embezzlement and obtaining property by false pretense, and it may be brought whether or not anyone was ever criminally charged or convicted. (N.C. Gen. Stat. § 1-538.2)
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limit
3 years
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Across the country. 6 of the 10 states written up answer this the same way as North Carolina. The shortest is 2 years, as in Arizona; the longest is 4 years, as in Florida. Compare every state →
which court
District Court, heard by a magistrate
source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.
small claims limit
$10,000
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your situation
Everything above is the law as it reaches everyone in North Carolina. What it means for you turns on facts only you have. Tell us what happened and we'll ask the same questions a lawyer would — about 90 seconds, free, and anonymous.
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