Several liability (and see “joint liability”) meaning

Several liability describes an arrangement where two or more parties are each responsible only for their own, separate obligation or share of loss. A claimant cannot recover the whole debt or damages from a single party; it must pursue each co-obligor or co-defendant for that party’s several share. In practice this is created by contract wording (for example, obligations of “each party severally” or guarantees that are “several but not joint”). It is a descriptive expression rather than generally defined by statute, and its use is broadly consistent across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. Key features: - Liability is limited to the specified proportion or obligation of the particular party. - Judgment or settlement against one party does not extinguish claims against others; each remains liable for its several share unless expressly released. - No right to full recovery from one party, unlike joint and several liability. Several liability is common in syndicate lending, underwriting, joint ventures and professional appointments. Compare joint liability and joint and several liability. Relevant contribution frameworks include the Civil Liability (Contribution) Act 1978 (E&W and NI), the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1940, and the Civil Liability Act 1961 (Ireland).