A classical example concerning an enslaved person taken without right, and liability arising from an offense committed during that period, illustrates a central distinction: returning an object physically does not necessarily restore it free from every legal claim.
If the owner's property is returned while a third party has acquired an attached claim, performance and financial liability may have to be assessed separately. Different outcomes depend on whether that attached claim persists or has been extinguished.
Original ownership, the attached claim of a third party, and the possible remedy are separate legal considerations. Liability depends on which rights have actually been restored and which remain outstanding.