joint

Held in common by two or more persons or things. Some regular uses of the term “joint” in a legal sense include:

• “Joint custody” is an arrangement in which both parents possess either legal custody or physical custody of a child or children following divorce or separation.
• “Joint defendant” is a defendant involved in litigation with two or more defendants.
• “Joint liability” refers to liability that is shared across two or more defendants due to their shared responsibility for a debt, claim, or judgment.
• “Joint ownership” is an arrangement in which each owner has an undivided interest in property, usually with a right of survivorship. See also joint tenancy.
• “Joint tortfeasors” are two or more defendants whose negligence contributed to the plaintiff’s injuries and are thus jointly liable for damages in the same litigation.

[Last reviewed in June of 2020 by the Wex Definitions Team]

Wex

• PROPERTY
• business organizations
• wex definitions