Also known as: catals · catallum · chattels · chattel
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
Movable tangible personal property or goods. The term historically encompassed household items, equipment, and livestock used in daily affairs.
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After her husband died, Claire Campbell selected the family sedan and living-room furniture from the estate inventory. The probate court awarded her their value up to the statutory limit because those items qualified as exempt property. The remaining assets then became available for creditors.
Craig Caldwell took a neighbor's power washer from an unlocked shed without permission. The owner sued for trespass to chattels. The court found liability because the taking occurred without consent and caused measurable damage.
Chloe Chen sold her specialized welding machine and the accompanying license to operate it on a construction site. The buyer could not assign the license separately because it was coupled with an interest in the chattel itself.
Christian Coleman bought a vintage tractor in State X and later moved it to State Y. When a lien dispute arose, the court applied the law of the state with the most significant relationship to the tractor and the parties.
Corinne Cho obtained a set of diagnostic equipment by misrepresenting her authority to a dealer. The true owner sued for dispossession. The court held that obtaining the chattels through fraud supported a trespass claim.
Cade Carpenter shipped antique furniture from State P to State Q under a disputed sales contract. The forum court consulted the local law of the state with the most significant relationship rather than its full choice-of-law rules.
Catalla refers to movable personal property or chattels, including household goods and equipment. A secondary historical usage covered cattle used for plowing.
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Surviving spouses may claim up to a statutory value in household furniture, automobiles, and personal effects as exempt property. These items constitute classic examples of catalla.
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Yes. Trespass to chattels protects possessory interests in movable property such as equipment or tools. Physical impairment of those items triggers liability under the governing rules.
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…wherein he that doth it, kills himself out of a premeditated hatred against his own life or other humor:. . . his goods and chattels are the king's custom, but not his debts nor lands; but in case he be an infant, a lunatic, mad or distracted man, he forfeits nothing." Virginia also required ignominious burial for…