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 updated in April of 2021 by the Wex Definitions Team]