Joint and Several Liability in Minnesota
State-specific overview · Tort Law
Minnesota applies joint and several liability only when a defendant's negligence is more than 50% of the total.
How Minnesota treats Joint and Several Liability
Minnesota law restricts joint and several liability to defendants whose comparative negligence exceeds 50 percent. Defendants at 50% or less fault pay only their proportionate share of damages. This threshold-based approach means plaintiffs cannot recover full damages from a minor defendant unless that defendant caused more than half the injury. The rule applies to most negligence cases but may have different applications in specific contexts like environmental or product liability.
The general definition of Joint and Several Liability
Multiple defendants can each be held fully responsible for the entire judgment, not just their share.
When two or more people or companies are sued together for causing harm, the injured person can collect the full amount from any one of them, rather than having to split the recovery among all defendants. This means if you win a $100,000 judgment against three defendants, you can demand all $100,000 from just one of them, and that defendant can then try to recover their fair share from the others. It protects the injured person by ensuring they get paid even if some defendants can't pay.
Read the full Joint and Several Liability entry →This page is a plain-English reference and is not legal advice. State laws change frequently. For specific situations consult a licensed attorney in Minnesota.