[Terr_]

I don't know the proper terminology, but I think there's a similar legal concept of: "I'm suing you for the damages, if it was someone you contracted with who is really at-fault, you can sue them in turn. The indirect cause is not-my-problem, and I might not even be able to go around you even if I wanted to."

Sometimes this manifests in odd ways, like lawsuits between loving family members in order to activate some sort of insurance-claim.

[JRagone]

A mechanic’s lien sounds like one instance of what you’re describing.