Joint and Several Liability

Definition

A legal rule where multiple defendants can each be held responsible for the entire judgment, not just their share. Everyone's on the hook for everything.

Example Usage

The court imposed joint and several liability, meaning either defendant could be forced to pay the entire $5 million judgment.

Origin

From English common law principles of liability

Fun Fact

Tort reform movements have repeatedly tried to abolish joint and several liability because deep-pocket defendants hate being forced to pay for everyone else's negligence.

Source: Tort law and liability terminology

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