Legal Definitions - contributione facienda

Definition: Contributione facienda is a Latin term that refers to a writ used in historical legal cases to compel a tenant in common to contribute to a fellow tenant who has paid more than their share of a sum for which all the tenants are liable.

Example: If tenants in common hold a mill and equally take the profits, but the mill falls into disrepair and one or more tenants refuse to contribute to its repair, the remaining tenants can use contributione facienda to compel the non-contributing tenants to pay their fair share.

This writ was used in cases where multiple people were responsible for a debt or obligation, but one person had to pay more than their fair share. Contributione facienda allowed the person who paid more to seek reimbursement from the other parties involved.