What is indemnification in the context of tort law?

Indemnification in tort law refers to the process of shifting the entire loss from one individual to another. This concept typically arises in situations where a party who has incurred a loss seeks to recover that loss from another party who is ultimately responsible for the injury or damage. In essence, indemnification allows one party to be compensated fully by another for losses incurred due to the latter's actions or negligence.

For example, if a contractor is held liable for damages caused during the performance of their work, the contractor may seek indemnification from the party that caused the original harm, essentially transferring the financial responsibility for that loss to the one who is truly at fault. This legal mechanism helps ensure that the party financially responsible for the harm ultimately bears the costs associated with it.

The other choices focus on different concepts: sharing liability refers to joint liability among multiple parties, recovering damages based on fault incorporates comparative negligence principles, and collecting double compensation would involve issues related to double recovery, which is not permissible in tort law. Each of these alternatives has its own implications and does not encapsulate the core idea of indemnification as accurately as the correct choice.