joint liability
- noun
- /dʒɔɪnt laɪəˈbɪləti/
- Formal
:
responsabilidad solidaria
- The joint liability imposed by the court means that all partners are equally responsible for settling the partnership's debts.
Examples
-
The law also abolishes joint liability and imposes a more restrictive statute of limitations formula in cases against drug companies.
Academic text (1998) -
(Another aspect of joint liability—the innocent-spouse rule—is discussed below.)
Academic text (2006) -
Joint Liability System Proposed for Buyers, Sellers in Global Trading System, 29 Env't Rep. (BNA) 353 (June 12, 1998).
Academic text (1998) -
The Supreme Prosecutor's Office nevertheless argued that regardless of the existence of the above-mentioned conditions, the criminal liability (or joint liability) of the person(s) in question could be compromised due to the potential medical consequences that could result from the use of the tested substance and being in direct contact with the test (offenses against life and health).
Academic text (2007) -
In a partnership, each member is subject to joint liability for any debts incurred by the business.
-
When two or more parties enter into a contract, they may face joint liability for any claims arising from that agreement.
How Liable
- Formal
- Specialized
176
5.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and predictably built from the parts: 'joint' = shared/involving two or more parties and 'liability' = a legal or financial obligation, so together they denote a shared legal responsibility. While the phrase is legal/technical, its compositional structure is clear and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the basic meaning.
Etymology
Joint liability comes from the image of people sharing the same burden: joint means together and liability means a duty to pay or a burden. So if you have joint liability, you and the others are 'responsible' together and each person may be asked to pay.