What does joint-and-several liability?

Joint-and-several liability is a legal concept that holds multiple people or entities responsible for paying a debt or obligation in its entirety. This type of liability means that each of the financially responsible parties — not just one — can be individually held responsible for paying the full amount of the debt or obligation in question. If one debtor cannot pay, whether due to insolvency or any other reason, the other debtors are still liable for the full amount. This means they can be held accountable to paying the remaining balance. There are a few exceptions where courts may limit joint-and-several liability, but this is the general definition.