Legal Definitions - several obligation

Definition: A legal or moral duty to do or not do something that binds two or more debtors to separate performances for one creditor or one debtor to separate performances for two or more creditors.

Example: A company owes money to three different suppliers. The company has a several obligation to pay each supplier separately, and each supplier has a right to demand payment from the company individually.

This example illustrates how a several obligation creates separate performances for each creditor. The company is obligated to pay each supplier separately, and each supplier has a right to demand payment individually. This type of obligation is different from a joint obligation, where two or more debtors are bound to a single performance for one creditor or one debtor is bound to a single performance for two or more creditors.