When two or more people agree to take on the same obligation (such as a loan), they may each be responsible for a certain portion of the obligation or they may each be responsible for the entire obligation. When the contract states that liability is "joint and several, it means that all parties together are responsible for the obligation ("joint") but also that each party individually is responsible for the entire obligation on their own ("several"). The creditor may sue all of them or just one for the debt.
Barry Goldsmith
| APA | Barry Goldsmith. (2010). JOINT AND SEVERAL LIABILITY. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/joint_and_several_liability/definitions/1156675 |
| Chicago | Barry Goldsmith. 2010. "JOINT AND SEVERAL LIABILITY" http://smartdefine.org/joint_and_several_liability/definitions/1156675 (accessed September 28, 2026). |
| Harvard | Barry Goldsmith 2010, JOINT AND SEVERAL LIABILITY, Smart Define, viewed 28 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/joint_and_several_liability/definitions/1156675>. |
| MLA | Barry Goldsmith. "JOINT AND SEVERAL LIABILITY" 21 October 2010. Web. 28 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/joint_and_several_liability/definitions/1156675> |