liability

N. an obligation to pay money to another party

The principles of civil liability in France are found primarily in articles 1382-1384 of the French civil code.

English law recognizes no general principle of liability for harm caused by fault nor any general strict liability for (dangerous) things.

liable

Adj. legally obligated or responsible for something or to someone

used in civil, not criminal matters

You can listen to (and read) a good explanation of the difference between guilty and liable here.

French administrative law starts from the premise that public authorities should not necessarily be liable for their actions on the same basis as private individuals.