Legal & IP
Definition
Liability is legal responsibility for a debt, obligation, injury, or loss, often resulting in a duty to pay damages or perform a required action.
Liability can arise from contracts, torts, statutes, professional duties, employment laws, tax obligations, and business ownership structures. Contract liability comes from failing to perform an agreement. Tort liability comes from civil wrongs such as negligence or fraud. Statutory liability comes from violating a law or regulation, sometimes without needing to prove intent. Business structures like LLCs and corporations are designed to limit owner liability, but that protection can be weakened by personal guarantees, fraud, commingling funds, or failure to maintain corporate formalities.
Understanding liability is central to running a business safely. Contracts, insurance, entity structure, employment policies, and operational controls all allocate or reduce liability exposure. A business attorney can identify where liability is concentrated and help you use contracts, compliance practices, and insurance to avoid a preventable loss.