A. Judgment may be given for or against one or more of several plaintiffs, and for or against one or more of several defendants; it may determine the ultimate rights of the parties on either side, as between themselves, and it may grant to the defendant any affirmative relief to which he or she may be entitled. In an action against several defendants, the court may, in its discretion, render judgment against one or more of them, leaving the action to proceed against the others whenever a several judgment may be proper. The court may also dismiss the petition with costs, in favor of one or more defendants, in case of unreasonable neglect on the part of the plaintiff to serve the summons on other defendants, or proceed in the cause against the defendant or defendants served.
§ 682.Given For Or Against Whom - Dismissal of Petition - Suits Against Officers, Directors and Shareholders - Statute of Limitations
Chapter 12: Judgment · Last amended November 1, 2016 · Last verified August 3, 2026
In one sentenceSection 682 lets a court enter judgment against some but not all of several parties, dismiss claims against unserved defendants for unreasonable delay, and bars suits against a corporation's officers, directors, shareholders, or an LLC's members and managers for entity debts until a judgment against the entity returns unsatisfied on execution.
Full Text of § 682
B. No suit or claim of any nature shall be brought against any officer, director or shareholder for the debt or liability of a corporation of which he or she is an officer, director or shareholder, until judgment is obtained therefor against the corporation and execution thereon returned unsatisfied. This provision includes, but is not limited to, claims based on vicarious liability and alter ego. Provided, nothing herein prohibits a suit or claim against an officer, director or shareholder for their own conduct, act or contractual obligation, not within the scope of their role as an officer, director or shareholder, arising out of or in connection with their direct involvement in the same or related transaction or occurrence.
C. Members and managers of limited liability companies shall be afforded the same substantive and procedural protection from suits and claims as the protections provided to officers, directors and shareholders of a corporation as set forth in subsection B of this section.
D. The statute of limitations on any claim precluded by this section, either against an officer, director or shareholder of a corporation or a member or manager of a limited liability company, shall not accrue until judgment is obtained against the corporation and execution thereon returned unsatisfied.
Amendment History
Amended by Laws 2016, c. 116, s. 1, eff. 11/1/2016. Amended by Laws 2013, c. 265, s. 1, eff. 11/1/2013. R.L. 1910, § 5124.
Plain-English Summary
Subsection A gives courts flexibility in multi-party cases: judgment can run for or against one plaintiff without binding the others, and against one defendant without binding co-defendants, while the court sorts out affirmative relief and each side's ultimate rights. If a plaintiff drags its feet serving some defendants, the court can dismiss the petition against those defendants for costs and let the case proceed against whoever's already been served.
Subsections B through D protect the people behind a corporation or LLC. Nobody can sue an officer, director, or shareholder — or, for an LLC, a member or manager — for the entity's debts until a judgment against the entity itself comes back with execution unsatisfied. That includes vicarious-liability and alter-ego theories aimed at reaching an individual's pocket instead of the company's. The shield doesn't cover a person's own wrongdoing or contracts outside their corporate role, and the limitations clock on a claim this section blocks doesn't start running until that unsatisfied-execution trigger occurs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a court enter judgment against one defendant but not others in the same case?
Yes, Section 682(A) lets the court render judgment for or against one or more of several plaintiffs or defendants without binding the rest, and allows the case to proceed against defendants left out of that judgment.
Can I sue a company's officer or shareholder directly for the company's debt?
Not until you've obtained a judgment against the corporation itself and had execution on it returned unsatisfied; Section 682(B) blocks suits against officers, directors, and shareholders, including alter-ego and vicarious-liability theories, until then.
Does this protection extend to LLC members and managers?
Yes, Section 682(C) gives LLC members and managers the same protection from suit that subsection B gives corporate officers, directors, and shareholders.
When does the statute of limitations start running on a claim blocked by this section?
Not until a judgment is obtained against the corporation or LLC and execution on it returns unsatisfied, under Section 682(D).
Can the court dismiss a case against defendants the plaintiff never got around to serving?
Yes, Section 682(A) lets the court dismiss the petition with costs against defendants who go unserved because of the plaintiff's unreasonable neglect, while the case proceeds against defendants who were served.
Source & verification. Section text is reproduced verbatim from
Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes, enacted by the Oklahoma Legislature.
Last verified August 3, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: Oklahoma corporate veil piercing statute12 O.S. § 682suing officers directors shareholders Oklahomajudgment against some defendants not others Oklahoma