Title XXI: Possession and acquisitive prescription

In the case of movable property, possession is equivalent to title. Nevertheless, a person who has lost something or from whom it has been stolen may claim it for three years from the day of the loss or theft, against the person in whose hands he finds it; save to the latter his recourse against the person from whom he has it.

If the present possessor of the stolen or lost thing has purchased it at a fair or market, or at a public sale, or from a merchant selling such things, the original owner may only have it returned by reimbursing the possessor for the price it cost him. A lessor who claims, by virtue of article 2332, the furniture moved without his consent and which was purchased under the same…