Translation:Shulchan Aruch/Choshen Mishpat/381

Paragraph 1- If five people sat on a chair and it did not break, and the last person came and sat on it, and was leaning on them and did not allow them to stand, and the chair broke, although it was fit to break before he sat, because he hastened its breaking, he would be liable, because they would say to him had you not leaned on us we would have stood up before it broke. If they all sat at once and it broke, they would all be liable. The same applies to anything similar. There are those who say that a standard bench is loaned to standard people, and if it broke under them it is like it broke because of its work, and they would be exempt from paying, unless the people sitting were uniquely fatter and heavier than others, in which case if they all sat together and it broke underneath them they would be required to pay. If they sat one after the other and it would not have broken if not for the last person, he alone would be required to pay. If it would have broken without the last person, he would be exempt. If it would have broken within two hours and with the last person it broke within an hour, we see if he leaned on them and prevented them from standing, in which case he alone would be liable. If not, they would all be liable.