# 9/10ths of the law **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 16, 2001, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-10ths-of-the-law/93630 "2001-11-16T00:00:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![geepee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ebca7d/32.png) [@geepee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/geepee)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-10ths-of-the-law/93630/1 "2001-11-16T00:00:03Z")
I keep hearing this phrase on imported American TV where a charactor says “posessesion is nine tenths of the law” what do they mean by this? . And to what does it apply? (the place i last heard it was on the sopranos where somebody has somebody’s documents) ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-10ths-of-the-law/93630/2 "2001-11-16T00:26:19Z")
Most possessions aren’t registered, or have ownership papers or title deeds. Steal my car, and if I catch you I can probably get it back from you. Steal my beer, and how the heck am I going to prove it was mine? The cops aren’t interested in “it’s mine, it’s mine, is not, is too” situations. Just too difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-10ths-of-the-law/93630/3 "2001-11-16T00:47:35Z")
also a matter of practicality. Frinstance, I promise to buy something from you, you send it to me, I never send a check. I have what I want. You have to initiate something else to get what you want, maybe hiring a lawyer or filling out loads of forms, maybe buying a Saturday Night Special. All these things involve effort and expenses that most people and companies don’t want, so they’ll just take the hit if it’s a small one. “Posession” is a big advantage in these cases. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-10ths-of-the-law/93630/4 "2001-11-16T01:18:51Z")
[Posesion Is Nine _Points_ Of The Law](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=79805) ---
**Author:** ![Sweet\_Sota\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@Sweet\_Sota\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sweet_Sota_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-10ths-of-the-law/93630/5 "2001-11-16T05:39:18Z")
This comes into play in another way, too. Say you have a friend over at your house and he has some drugs with him. You’re not into it, but you don’t care what he does. He goes out to the liquor store to buy some beer, but leaves his dope at your place. In the meantime the cops show up to bust you, and low and behold you have drugs in your house. You try to tell the officer that they aren’t your drugs, they belong to your friend and he’ll be right back. Cop says, too bad, your house and possession is 9/10 of the law. The judge is gonna agree with him, too. IANAL, but I am a legal assistant to one, so I’ve had enough of the schooling to be able to answer this one with a teensy bit of knowledge. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2001, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/9-10ths-of-the-law/93630/6 "2001-11-16T13:39:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Devil May Care \* > \*\*This comes into play in another way, too. > > Say you have a friend over at your house and he has some drugs with him. You’re not into it, but you don’t care what he does. He goes out to the liquor store to buy some beer, but leaves his dope at your place. In the meantime the cops show up to bust you, and low and behold you have drugs in your house. You try to tell the officer that they aren’t your drugs, they belong to your friend and he’ll be right back. Cop says, too bad, your house and possession is 9/10 of the law. The judge is gonna agree with him, too. > \*\* Not if he knows that it’s nine points of the law and not nine-tenths, but that may be one point.