Wetherbee v. Green Supreme Court of Michigan, 1871. Facts: Wetherbee (defendant) harvested timber from Green’s (plaintiff) property under the belief that he had authority to harvest timber given by the rightful owners of the land. Wetherbee used the harvested timber to construct hoops. Procedural History: Green filed a replevin action against Wetherbee seeking possession of the hoops. The trial court prohibited Wetherbee from introducing evidence that the finished hoops were much more valuable than the raw timber and ruled in favor of Green. Wetherbee appealed. Issue: Under Michigan law, when one takes wrongful possession of personal property in good faith and adds value to that property, does title vest in the wrongful possessor? Holding: Yes, when one takes wrongful possession of personal property in good faith and adds value to that property and improves it such that its identity becomes changed, title vests in the wrongful possessor. Reasoning: Common law has traditionally held that a wrongful possessor in good faith acquires title to personal property if he has transformed it in a fashion that renders the original property unrecognizable. The policy underlying the common law seeks to compensate the rightful owner for the value of lost property while avoiding inequitable injury to the one who improved the property under a reasonable belief of lawful entitlement. Rather than rely on a subjective inquiry into the difference in character between the original property and the improved product, the determination of ownership interests should focus on the extent to which improvement enhanced the value of the original property. A wrongful possessor in good faith who adds substantial value to property through his own efforts or expense acquires title to the improved product. The original owner is entitled to compensation for the value of the property in its original form. The trial court judgment is reversed and the matter remanded for a new trial.