possession is 9/10s of the law

This idiom is based on the legal premise that only the paramount owner of property is able to make a lawful claim to property. The collorary is that a person who is not the owner or not in possession of goods does not have better title than the person in possession.

Usage: The person that found the diamond ring and handed it to a jeweller to be cleaned had a superior title to the jeweller, because possession is 9/10s of the law. In law, it is because the jeweller is not to know who the owner is and is not entitled to claim title.

Related Words: real property; personal property.