Short answer. No, not personally to co-partners. When a partner acts for the firm after dissolution by death but had no knowledge or notice of the death, the liability for that deal is shared among co-partners as if the partnership had not dissolved. Ignorance of the death protects the acting partner.
What the law says
each partner is liable to his co-partners for his share of any liability created by any partner acting for the partnership as if the partnership had not been dissolved
Civil Code, Article 1833 — Liability Among Partners After Dissolution. Read the full provision →
The general rule after dissolution by death
Article 1833 of the Civil Code establishes how liability is allocated among partners when dissolution occurs. Where dissolution is caused by a partner's death, each partner is liable to his co-partners for his share of any liability created by any partner acting for the partnership as if the partnership had not been dissolved — unless the partner who acted had knowledge or notice of the death. When the acting partner genuinely did not know about the death, the standard partnership liability-sharing framework continues to apply.
Knowledge or notice is the dividing line
The exception under Article 1833 applies when dissolution is caused by death or insolvency, and the acting partner had knowledge or notice of the death or insolvency. The standard here is broader than in the case of voluntary dissolution: either actual knowledge or notice suffices. If a partner had received information that should have put them on notice of the death — even without formal confirmation — they may not be protected. But if they genuinely had no knowledge and had received no notice, the exception does not apply and the shared liability framework governs.
What shared liability means in practice
When the acting partner's lack of knowledge means the exception does not apply, the liabilities from the post-dissolution deal are treated as if the partnership were still alive. Each partner — including surviving partners and the estate of the deceased partner — remains liable for their proportionate share of any obligation the deal created. The acting partner is not personally singled out; the obligation is distributed according to the partnership's agreed structure. This protects a partner who acted in good faith while still ensuring that the firm's obligations to third parties are met.
The contrast with voluntary dissolution
It is worth noting how this compares to the rule for dissolution caused by a partner's own voluntary act. In that case, the exception from shared liability arises if the acting partner had knowledge of the dissolution. For death or insolvency, the standard is knowledge or notice — a slightly lower bar. The law treats voluntary dissolution differently from dissolution caused by events outside anyone's control. A partner cannot complain of ignorance about their own voluntary act, which is why the standard there requires only knowledge, not notice.