Defense attorneys often request the judge or jury to break down the amount of negligence of each defendant and the plaintiff if there is contributory negligence. Often the court will refuse to do so, allowing the plaintiff to collect from whichever defendant has the most money, and letting the defendant who pays demand contributions from the other defendants. Joint and several liability often arises when people enter into an obligation such as a guarantee together, which means that the lender or creditor can recover the whole indebtedness from any one of them. They are then left to sort out their respective contributions between themselves. Many states have passed laws, which vary by state, abolishing or limiting joint and several liability.