Making a personal property damage claim and possibly a civil complaint for Abetting A Conversion.

There are two junk car dealers that I will be contending abetted a conversion regarding my stolen vehicle. I will contend that they were negligent, not using "Due Care", if not reckless in their behavior in not requiring some form of documentation of ownership before purchasing my vehicle. I have recovered the vehicle however, there are damages to the vehicle and missing personal belongings that were enclosed in the vehicles interior. My question is can I possibly be awarded punitive damages? I will settle for my actual damages however, I would like to be able to use some leverage in my demand letter by advising that I will be asking for punitive damages if this matter is not settled out of court. Thank you.