Title 8.01, Title 8.01. Civil Remedies and Procedure

A. Every attachment shall be commenced by a petition filed before a clerk of a circuit or general district court of, or magistrate serving, the county or city in which venue is given by subdivision 11 of § 8.01-261. If it is sought to recover specific personal property, the petit…

A. The plaintiff or someone for him shall, at the time of suing out an attachment or other pretrial levy or seizure, give bond. The fact that bond has been given shall be endorsed on the process, or certified by the clerk to the serving officer. If certified by the clerk, the ser…

No attachment against any ship, boat, or other vessel of more than twenty tons, shall issue unless the plaintiff or someone in his behalf, shall first establish, to the satisfaction of the court in which he files his petition for attachment that he has a reasonable expectation of…

A person against whom the plaintiff is asserting the claim shall be made a defendant to the petition, and shall be known as a principal defendant. There shall also be made a defendant any person indebted to or having in his possession property, real or personal, belonging to a pr…

A judge of, or a magistrate serving, the court in which a petition for attachment is filed shall make an ex parte review of the petition. The judge or magistrate shall issue an attachment in accordance with the prayer of the petition only upon a determination that (i) there is re…

Any attachment issued under this chapter may be directed to the sheriff of any county or city. Except when otherwise provided, it shall be returnable to the office of the clerk of court wherein the petition has been filed not more than thirty days from its date of issuance.

Such attachment may be issued or executed on any day, including a Sunday or holiday.

Upon the written application of the plaintiff, his agent or attorney, other attachments founded on the original petition may be issued from time to time by the clerk of the court in which the original attachment is pending, and the same may be directed, executed, and returned in …

When an attachment is returned not served on a principal defendant, whether levied on property or not, further attachments and summonses may be issued until service is obtained on him, if he be a resident of the Commonwealth. If for any cause service cannot be had in the Commonwe…

Such amendments shall be allowed of the petition, answer and of any of the other proceedings in the attachment as shall be conducive to the attainment of the ends of substantial justice, and upon such terms as to continuance and costs as may seem proper. An amendment when made sh…

Every attachment sued out against specific personal property shall command the sheriff or other officer to whom it may be directed to attach the specific property claimed in the petition, and so much more of the real and personal property of the principal defendant as shall be ne…

The form for requesting a hearing or a claim for exemption from levy or seizure shall be designed by the Supreme Court and provided to all courts which may issue attachments and to all magistrates.

A judgment debtor shall have the right to a hearing on his claim of exemption from levy or seizure. If a defendant files a request for a hearing, the clerk shall (i) schedule a hearing no later than ten business days from the date that the request is filed with the court, and (ii…

If the attachment be against a principal defendant who is a nonresident or an absconding debtor, the attachment may also direct the sheriff or other officer to levy the same on any remainder, vested or contingent, of the principal defendant, or so much thereof as may be sufficien…

An attachment may be levied upon any estate of the defendant, whether the same be in the county or city in which the attachment issued, or in any other, either by the officer of the county or city wherein the attachment issued, or by the officer of the county or city where the es…

The court may interpose by a restraining order, or the appointment of a receiver, or otherwise, to secure the forthcoming of the specific property sued for, and so much other estate as will probably be required to satisfy any further order that may be made in the proceedings.

An attachment may be levied as follows: On tangible personal property in possession of a principal defendant, whether such possession be actual or constructive, it may be levied as at common law or by delivering a copy of the attachment to such principal defendant or, if possessi…

If so requested by the plaintiff in his petition, the officer to whom the attachment is directed shall take possession of the property specified in the attachment, or when no such property is specified, of any estate or effects of the defendant, or so much thereof as is sufficien…

Any property levied on or seized as aforesaid, under any attachment, may be retained by or returned to the defendant or other person in whose possession it was on his giving bond, with condition to have the same forthcoming at such time and place as the court may require. In the …

Every such bond shall be returned by the officer to and filed by the clerk of the court in which the attachment is pending, or to which the attachment is returnable, and the plaintiff may, within thirty days after the return thereof, file exceptions to the same, or to the suffici…

When judgment in favor of the plaintiff is rendered by a general district court in any case in which an attachment is issued and on appeal therefrom to a circuit court an appeal bond is given, with condition to prosecute the appeal with effect or pay the debt, interest, costs and…

Any bond authorized or required by any section of this chapter may be given either by the party himself or by any other person.

The plaintiff shall have a lien from the time of the levying of such attachment, or serving a copy thereof as aforesaid, upon the personal property of the principal defendant, when the same is in his possession, actual or constructive, and upon the personal property, choses in ac…

When an officer has in his possession or custody money or effects of the defendant held under an attachment executed, or other legal process, a delivery to such officer of an attachment under this chapter shall be deemed a levy thereof as to such money or effects, and constitute …

The officer levying the attachment shall show in his return the time, date and manner of the service, or execution thereof, on each person and parcel of property, and also give a list and description of the property, if any, levied on under the attachment.

When any attachment is sued out, although the property or estate attached be not seized, the interest and profits thereof pending the attachment and before judgment may be paid to the defendant, if the court deem it proper.

Any property seized under any attachment and not sold before judgment shall be kept in the same manner as similar property taken under execution. But such as is expensive to keep or perishable may be sold by order of the court upon such terms as the court may direct. If the court…

A defendant who at the time of service of the attachment was alleged to be indebted to a principal defendant, or had in his possession personal property belonging to such principal defendant, shall appear in person and submit to an examination on oath touching such debt or person…

The principal defendant, if a householder or head of a family, may claim that the amount so found owing from his codefendant, or the personal property in his possession, shall be exempt from liability for the plaintiff's claim; and if it shall appear that the principal defendant …

If the attachment be served on a defendant who the petition alleges is indebted to, or has in his possession effects of, the principal defendant, and he fail to appear, the court may either compel him to appear, or hear proof of any debt owing by him, or of effects in his hands b…

When it is suggested by the plaintiff in any attachment that a codefendant has not fully disclosed the debts owing by him, or effects in his hands belonging to the principal defendant in such attachment, the court, without any formal pleading, shall inquire as to such debts and e…

Any of the defendants in any such attachment, or any party to any forthcoming bond given as aforesaid, or the officer who may be liable to the plaintiff by reason of such bond being adjudged bad, or any person authorized by § 8.01-573 to file a petition, may make defense to such …

Any party in interest may show that the court is without jurisdiction to hear and determine the controversy. The principal defendant, if not served with process, may appear specially and show that the attachment was issued on false suggestion or without sufficient cause, in which…

The court in which an attachment is pending shall, on motion of the principal defendant, or any defendant claiming title to, an interest in, or a lien upon the property attached, or any part thereof, after reasonable notice to the plaintiff, hear testimony and quash the attachmen…

If the principal defendant has not appeared generally, nor been served with process, and the sole ground of jurisdiction of the court is the right to sue out the attachment, and this right be decided against the plaintiff, the petition shall be dismissed at the cost of the plaint…

If the claim of the plaintiff be established, judgment shall be rendered for him, and the court shall dispose of the specific property levied on, as may be right, and order the sale of any other effects or real estate which shall not have been previously released or sold under th…

If the principal defendant has not appeared or been served with a copy of the attachment ten days before the judgment therein mentioned, the plaintiff shall not have the benefit of § 8.01-570 unless and until he shall have given bond with sufficient surety in such penalty as the …

No real estate shall be sold until all other property and money subject to the attachment have been exhausted, and then only so much thereof as is necessary to pay the judgment. Upon a sale of real estate, under an attachment the court shall have the same powers and jurisdiction,…

Any person may file his petition at any time before the property attached as the estate of a defendant is sold or the proceeds of sale paid to the plaintiff under the judgment, disputing the validity of the plaintiff's attachment thereon, or stating a claim thereto, or an interes…

If an attachment be desired in connection with a pending suit or action, a petition for an attachment may be filed in the same court in which such suit or action is pending, and the procedure thereon shall be the same as if no suit or action were pending; but the attachment may b…

If a defendant, against whom, on publication, judgment is rendered under any attachment, or his personal representative, shall return to or appear openly in this Commonwealth, he may, within one year after a copy of such judgment shall be served on him at the instance of the plai…

On any rehearing or new trial had under § 8.01-575, the court may order the plaintiff in the original attachment to restore any money paid to him under such judgment to such defendant if living, or if dead to the heir or personal representative of such defendant, as the same may …

In any civil action pending before a circuit court, the parties may, by agreement in writing submitted to the court at any time prior to trial, elect to have a summary jury trial of the issues in the case in accordance with this chapter. However, where the court determines that t…

All memoranda, work products and other materials contained in the case files of a neutral or dispute resolution program are confidential. Any communication made in or in connection with the dispute resolution proceeding that relates to the controversy, including screening, intake…

If the parties reach a settlement and execute a written agreement disposing of the dispute, the agreement is enforceable in the same manner as any other written contract. Upon request of all parties and consistent with law and public policy, the court shall incorporate the writte…

Upon the filing of an independent action by a party, the court shall vacate a mediated agreement reached in a dispute resolution proceeding pursuant to this chapter, or vacate an order incorporating or resulting from such agreement, where: 1. The agreement was procured by fraud o…