# Joint and several liability rule · North Carolina — Comparative fault system and joint and several liability rules by state

For Joint and several liability rule · North Carolina, state is North Carolina; rule type is Joint and several liability rule; joint liability rule is Each defendant is jointly and severally liable, except if a plaintiff’s failure to use ordinary care was a proximate cause of his or her injury, the plaintiff may not recover unless the case involves willful or wanton conduct by defendants; statutory citation is North Carolina General Statutes § 1B-2. Brewer v. Harris, 279 N.C. 288, 182 S.E.2d 345 (N.C. 1971), recorded from its source on 2026-08-31.

- **State:** North Carolina _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Rule type:** Joint and several liability rule _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Joint liability rule:** Each defendant is jointly and severally liable, except if a plaintiff’s failure to use ordinary care was a proximate cause of his or her injury, the plaintiff may not recover unless the case involves willful or wanton conduct by defendants. _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Statutory citation:** North Carolina General Statutes § 1B-2. Brewer v. Harris, 279 N.C. 288, 182 S.E.2d 345 (N.C. 1971). _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> No. Each defendant is jointly and severally liable, except if a plaintiff’s failure to use ordinary care was a proximate cause of his or her injury, the plaintiff may not recover unless the case involves willful or wanton conduct by defendants. North Carolina General Statutes § 1B-2. Brewer v. Harris, 279 N.C. 288, 182 S.E.2d 345 (N.C. 1971).

## Source

- https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/mlr-state-laws-chart-I.pdf

Last verified: 2026-08-31. Review by: 2027-08-31.
Part of [Comparative fault system and joint and several liability rules by state](https://referencesource.org/state-comparative-fault-joint-liability-rules/).