Joint and several liability

Law.

Joint and several liability means a creditor may sue one or more of the parties to a liability separately, or all of them together, for the whole amount of the liability.

This is a more favourable arrangement for the creditor, and less favourable for the parties undertaking the liability, compared with several liability (where each party’s liability is limited to a proportionate share of the whole amount).

See also

• Liabilities
• Limited liability
• Proportionate
• Several liability