Short answer. Only your proportionate share. Article 1224 of the Civil Code provides that debtors who were ready to fulfill their promises in a joint indivisible obligation are not required to contribute to the indemnity beyond the corresponding portion of the price or value of the obligation. The refusing debtor bears the extra burden.
What the law says
A joint indivisible obligation gives rise to indemnity for damages from the time anyone of the debtors does not comply with his undertaking. The debtors who may have been ready to fulfill their promises shall not contribute to the indemnity beyond the corresponding portion of the price of the thing or of the value of the service in which the obligation consists.
Civil Code, Article 1224 — Breach of a Joint Indivisible Obligation. Read the full provision →
The rule for joint indivisible obligations
Article 1224 of the Civil Code governs what happens when co-debtors under a joint indivisible obligation fail to perform together: A joint indivisible obligation gives rise to indemnity for damages from the time anyone of the debtors does not comply with his undertaking. The debtors who may have been ready to fulfill their promises shall not contribute to the indemnity beyond the corresponding portion of the price of the thing or of the value of the service in which the obligation consists. The obligation is joint — not solidary — meaning each debtor is responsible for their own share. And because it is indivisible, non-compliance by even one debtor prevents performance and triggers indemnity.
What the distinction between joint and solidary means here
A solidary obligation allows the creditor to demand the entire obligation from any one debtor, and that debtor bears the burden of recovering from their co-debtors. A joint obligation divides responsibility proportionately — each debtor owes only their own share. In a joint indivisible obligation, the indivisibility creates a practical problem: because the thing to be delivered or the act to be performed cannot be split, a single co-debtor's refusal prevents delivery of the whole. Article 1224 addresses this by converting the obligation into one for indemnity when breach occurs, but ensuring that the indemnity obligation is still divided proportionately — not transformed into a solidary one against the willing debtors.
What the ready debtor owes
If you were ready to perform — if you had your part prepared and were willing to proceed — your contribution to the indemnity is capped at the corresponding portion of the price of the thing or of the value of the service. Your share, not the full indemnity. The co-debtor who refused to comply is the one responsible for the added loss caused by the breach. That refusing debtor cannot shield themselves behind the argument that the willing debtors should bear the full indemnity equally. Article 1224 places the extra consequence of the breach on the party who caused it — the non-complying co-debtor.
What you should document
For the protection Article 1224 provides to apply to you, you need to be able to show that you were in fact ready to fulfill your part of the obligation when the co-debtor refused. If the issue ever becomes disputed, the creditor or another party might claim you were also not ready. Evidence of your readiness — an offer to perform, tender of your portion of the deliverable, or written communication expressing your willingness — strengthens your position that the breach was not your doing. The benefit of Article 1224 flows to debtors who can demonstrate genuine readiness; it is not automatic protection for all co-debtors when one defaults.