A violation of a statute, regulation or ordinance, which may be criminal or merely not in conformity; that which lacks authority of or support from the law.

The responsibility of a person to pay a debt or other financial obligation. If an individual signs a promissory note, that individual usually has full personal liability for the debt. An exception is the unusual situation of a non-recourse individual loan, in which the lender agrees to look only to the collateral for recovery in the event of default.