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

For Joint and several liability rule · Washington, state is Washington; rule type is Joint and several liability rule; joint liability rule is The liability of each defendant shall be several only and shall not be joint; statutory citation is RCW 4.22.070, recorded from its source on 2026-08-31.

- **State:** Washington _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Rule type:** Joint and several liability rule _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Joint liability rule:** The liability of each defendant shall be several only and shall not be joint _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Statutory citation:** RCW 4.22.070 _(verified: appears in its own passage below)_

## What the source says

> Judgment shall be entered against each defendant except those who have been released by the claimant or are immune from liability to the claimant or have prevailed on any other individual defense against the claimant in an amount which represents that party's proportionate share of the claimant's total damages. The liability of each defendant shall be several only and shall not be joint except: (a) A party shall be responsible for the fault of another person or for payment of the proportionate share of another party where both were acting in concert or when a person was acting as an agent or servant of the party. (b) If the trier of fact determines that the claimant or party suffering bodily injury or incurring property damages was not at fault, the defendants against whom judgment is entered shall be jointly and severally liable for the sum of their proportionate shares of the claimants [claimant's] total damages.

## Where each value comes from

This source states these in separate places, so each value is shown with the passage that states it.

### Statutory citation

> RCW 4.22.070 Percentage of fault—Determination—Exception—Limitations.

## Source

- https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=4.22.070

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/).