What Is Joint and Several Liability?
It means more than one party/group may be responsible to respond in damages. If multiple people are to blame for your personal injury, more than one may be responsible to pay you. The attorneys at Heiting & Irwin have been working to get justice on behalf of our clients for nearly five decades, and we can do the same for you.
Joint and several liability is a legal concept that applies to your personal injury case when you have more than one possible defendant. Each one could be individually liable to pay for the full amount of your settlement or jury verdict. Your lawyer would sue or file a claim against every possible responsible party involved in your accident, and it is up to them, or a jury, to decide who pays you what.
To speak with an aggressive attorney who can cast a wide net in your personal injury case, reach out to the experienced lawyers at Heiting & Irwin today. We will review your case during a free initial consultation before we roll up our sleeves and get to work.
You May Be Able to Sue Multiple People for Your Personal Injury
When you hire a personal injury lawyer for your case, they will conduct an investigation to determine who may be held responsible for your injuries. There are times that there could be more than one defendant who is to blame for what happened. When that is the case, the responsible party(ies) could be each – or it could be all – or each and all. It is in your interest to sue everyone possibly responsible for damages. Joint and several liability refers to how the responsible parties are to pay for your injuries and apportion the damages amongst themselves.
You want to name everyone possibly responsible in a lawsuit for two primary reasons:
- Suing every potential defendant increases the chances that you will not miss a responsible party
- More defendants can mean more insurance coverage and assets to pay for your injuries
Separate Parties May Be Liable for Your Damages
Any party who is liable for your accident injuries is legally responsible to pay for the entire amount of your damages they caused. If one party is found liable, and they believe that other potential defendants are also responsible, they need to take action to collect from those other parties. Good personal injury law firms, many times, name all potential defendants to avoid delays and possible complications.
We fight for the full amount of compensation that you are due. The responsible parties will figure out amongst themselves, or through a trial, who bears what percentage of the blame. A court may decide the percentages of responsibility if the case goes to arbitration or to a jury, or if the defendants cannot agree on the payment on their own.
Joint and several liability is still the rule in California product liability cases. Sometimes a party responsible for only a small percentage of your damages could still be liable to pay the entire amount of your judgment.
Contact a Riverside Product Liability Lawyer Today
This can be a complex area of the law. Get help from the experienced lawyers at Heiting & Irwin by calling us to schedule a free case review. You can speak with an attorney today by calling our office at 951-682-6400.
