responsible
A person or body who can be held accountable for carrying out a duty is considered responsible.
- In the context of tort law, it may refer to a party who caused injury , and is therefore synonymous with liable .
- In the context of contract law, it may refer to a party who is contractually bound to perform a duty, such as compensate another party for their goods or services, perform an act, or discharge a debt .
- In the context of administrative agencies , an agency is responsible to the body who delegated the power to the agency, normally Congress .
- In the context of agency law , the agent’s duties to the principal make the agency responsible to the principal.
[Last reviewed in April of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team ]
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