If two or more judgment debtors are jointly liable on a money judgment:
§ 882.Compelling Contribution Or Repayment
Title 11. Contribution Among Joint Judgment Debtors · Chapter 2. Contribution Among Other Judgment Debtors · Enacted 1982 · no amendments on record · Last verified July 28, 2026
In one sentenceSection 882 lets a judgment debtor who paid more than a due proportion of a jointly-owed money judgment compel contribution from a co-debtor who paid less, and lets a surety who satisfies the judgment compel repayment from the principal obligor.
Full Text of § 882
(a) A judgment debtor who has satisfied more than his or her due proportion of the judgment, whether voluntarily or through enforcement procedures, may compel contribution from another judgment debtor who has satisfied less than his or her due proportion of the judgment.
(b) If the judgment is based upon an obligation of one judgment debtor as surety for another and the surety satisfies the judgment or any part thereof, whether voluntarily or through enforcement procedures, the surety may compel repayment from the principal.
Plain-English Summary
This section carries Chapter 1's basic fairness idea into the non-tort setting. Subdivision (a) applies whenever two or more judgment debtors are jointly liable on a money judgment: whoever satisfies more than a due proportion of it — whether by voluntary payment or through enforcement procedures like a levy — can compel contribution from a co-debtor who has paid less than a due proportion.
Subdivision (b) addresses a narrower but common scenario: a judgment based on one debtor's liability as surety for another. If the surety ends up satisfying the judgment, in whole or in part, the surety can compel repayment from the principal — not mere contribution, since a surety who has to pay is generally entitled to be made whole by the party the surety was backing, rather than splitting the loss with them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can demand contribution under § 882?
A judgment debtor who has satisfied more than a due proportion of a jointly-owed money judgment, against a co-debtor who has satisfied less than a due proportion.
Does it matter whether the payment was voluntary or forced through collection?
No. Subdivision (a) allows contribution whether the paying debtor satisfied the judgment voluntarily or through enforcement procedures.
What happens when a surety pays a judgment for the principal debtor?
Subdivision (b) lets the surety compel repayment from the principal, rather than sharing the loss through ordinary contribution.
Amendment History
Added by Stats. 1982, Ch. 497, Sec. 63. Operative July 1, 1983, by Sec. 185 of Ch. 497.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
the Deering's California Codes Annotated / vLex. Enacted by the California Legislature.
Last verified July 28, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: contribution joint judgment debtors californiasurety repayment principal california judgment