Reference / Glossary / Practice and industry
Sequential Liability
A contract term under which an agency is liable to a publisher for media payments only to the extent it has been paid by the client. Sequential liability is standard in US agency contracts and is why publishers check a client's credit as well as the agency's.
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Cite this entry:
Agency Echelon. "Sequential Liability." Agency Echelon Reference, reviewed September 2026. https://agencyechelon.com/reference/glossary/sequential-liability/