Legal Definition and Related Resources of Joint Tortfeasors

The primary meaning of the term is two or more persons who commit or contribute to the commission of a tort. Not necessary that they should have acted jointly or in concert for persons guilty of separate acts of negligence which jointly and concurrently cooperate in causing an injury are joint tortfeasors. See Reeves v McHan, 50 S.E.2d 787, 78 Ga.App. 150. However, in modern times, the phrase joint tortfeasors has been reserved for those who have acted in concert and persons whose independent acts of negligence have concurred to produce the proximate cause of injury to a person are called concurrent tortfeasors. See Litis v Pierce county , 488 P.2d 785, 5 Wash. App. 531. Apart from the law of negligence, the phrase denotes those who have acted inten tionally or in concert to injure a third party . The phrase has also been used to denote tortfeasors whose acts, although independent of each other , unite in causing a single injury. See Bowen v Iowa Nat. Mut. Ins. Co., 155 S.E.2d 238, 270 N.C. 486. Joint tortfeasors are jointly and severally liable to the injured party . The injured person may sue those who cooperated in the commission of the tort together or he may sue them individually. He may recover against less than all if he sues them jointiy and may have a judgment for unequal sums against all who were joined in the suit. See Bigelow v Old Dominion Copper mining and Smelting Co., 225 U.S. Ill, 32 S.Ct. 641, 56 L.Ed. 1009. Each of the joint tortfeasors is liable to the plaintiff for the whole amount of the judgment, unless the judgment itself apportions and specifies the amounts payable by each such joint tortfeasor . See Washington Gaslight Co. v Lansden, 172 U.S. 534, 19 S.Ct. 296, 43 L.Ed. 543. Also see joint and several .

Browse or run a search for Joint Tortfeasors in the American Encyclopedia of Law, the Asian Encyclopedia of Law, the European Encyclopedia of Law, the UK Encyclopedia of Law or the Latin American and Spanish Encyclopedia of Law.

Joint Tortfeasors in Historical Law

You might be interested in the historical meaning of this term. Browse or search for Joint Tortfeasors in Historical Law in the Encyclopedia of Law.

Search for legal acronyms and/or abbreviations containing Joint Tortfeasors in the Legal Abbreviations and Acronyms Dictionary.

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Covenant Not To Sue.

Joint tortfeasors in Law Enforcement

Main Entry: Law Enforcement in the Legal Dictionary. This section provides, in the context of Law Enforcement, a partial definition of joint tortfeasors.

Resources

See Also

• Law Enforcement Officer
• Police Work
• Law Enforcement Agency

Further Reading

• joint tortfeasors in A Dictionary of Law Enforcement (Oxford University Press)
• joint tortfeasors in the Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement
• A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis