Several Liability
Several liability is a legal arrangement in which each party is responsible for his/her own share of an obligation only. If one of the parties is sued and ends up paying the entire amount of the judgment, s/he may in turn sue the other parties for their shares of the obligation in order to recover his/her own.
According to some critics, this has turned litigation into a treasure hunt or a lottery as plaintiffs allegedly go after the defendant who has the "deepest pockets" and is most likely to pay the greatest amount (this is in fact known as the "deep pocket" rule).
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It is true that this principle can lead to a legal situation in which a party who has little to do with an obligation winds up shouldering most of the burden. For example, Mr. A has too much to drink at a restaurant that is part of Piggout Eateries Inc., a national chain. On his way home, he is involved in an accident during which Mr. B is injured. Mr. A has no auto insurance and little in the way of assets.
The solution, according to Mr.B's legal counsel, is to hold Mr. B and Piggout Eateries Inc. severally liable. The fact is that although the restaurant at which Mr. A was served alcohol may have been only 2% liable (let us assume Mr. A's drunkenness was not apparent to the wait staff), the company could wind up paying 100% of the judgment.
Gradually, states are replacing several liability with what is known as proportionate liability. Under this doctrine, a party who is partially liable is responsible only for that percentage of the judgment representing his portion. Therefore, if the defendant is found to be 10% at fault in an injury case, s/he will have to pay no more than 10% of the damage award.