两者的区别在于joint liability为“共同负债”或“共同责任”，指两个或两个以上者共同对第三人的负债，或在侵权案件中两个或两个以上的侵权人对被侵权人应负的责任，债务人或责任人在诉讼中有权要求其共同债务人或共同责任人作为本诉的共同被告，且要求他们共同偿还债务或赔偿损失[1]。joint and several liability则为“连带负债”，指债权人可就两个以上债务人所欠的债务同时对所有债务人提起诉讼，也可单独就其中某一债务人提起而要求他（她）归还所有其他人所欠债务，一旦归还，其他债务人也就免去自己的债务，此种情况经常出现在夫妻的共同债务中，如夫妻双方申明其对债务负连带债务责任， 债权人只对丈夫或妻子一方起诉要求归还夫妻所欠的全部债务即可。同样，在侵权责任中，joint and several liability指“连带责任”，即准许被侵权人只要求共同侵权人之一赔偿其全部损失[2]。

[1]“ Liability that is owed to a third party by two or more other parties together. One wherein joint obligor has right to insist that co-obligor be joined as a codefendant with him, that is, that they be sued jointly. " Cf. The Publisher's Editorial Staff, Black's Law Dictionary, abridged 6th edition, at p. 583，West Publishing Co. (1991 ).

[2]“liability for damages caused by the combined action of two or more persons, or for an obligation undertaken by two or more persons，under circumstances in which the law permits the plaintiff to proceed either against the whole group or against member individually." Cf. James E. Clapp, Random House Webster's Dictionary of the Law, at p. 271 , Random House (2000).