This 50-state overview of the doctrine of joint and several
liability provides the answer to these questions for each of
the U.S. states. As will be seen, while some states follow pure
versions of either the several-only or the joint and several
liability rules, most states have adopted a middle-of-the road
approach. States have hybrid liability rules (where joint and
several liability applies to some portion of damages, such
as the economic loss, and several-only liability applies to
the rest) or variable rules (where the type of liability turns on
some aspect of the plaintiff’s cause of action, such as joint
and several liability being triggered only for intentional and
environmental torts, or for a certain percentage of fault).