Does it matter to my liability if I buy 100% of the shares versus most of them?

Not to the corporation's own liabilities — the company owes what it owes regardless of how its shares are divided, and buying 100% versus, say, 80% doesn't change the debts, contracts, or legal claims sitting inside it. What changes is control and who else has a say.

If you buy less than all of the shares, the remaining minority shareholders keep their ownership rights — access to certain corporate information, a vote on matters requiring shareholder approval, and potentially a remedy if you run the company in a way that unfairly disregards their interests. That can complicate how quickly and unilaterally you can respond to a problem you inherit, like settling a dispute or restructuring operations, compared to owning the company outright.

There's also a practical due-diligence point: if you're not buying every shareholder's stock, you need every share you are buying properly and validly transferred, and clarity on who's staying on as a co-owner and why. A business lawyer can confirm whether a full buyout or a majority purchase actually fits what you're trying to achieve, since the liability picture is the same either way — only the governance picture changes.