Title 8.01, Civil Remedies and Procedure

A trustee appointed pursuant to § 8.01-525.6 shall make written reports to the court as required by the court. The trustee may charge a fee of five percent of such salary, wages, or income received and disbursed by him; however, no public officer or employee who receives a full-t…

The trustee may resign at any time after accounting for all funds in his possession, and the court may appoint another trustee. 1936, p. 524; Michie Code 1942, § 5278i; Code 1950, § 55-163; 2019, c. 712.

The trustee shall immediately upon receipt of such salary, wages, or income, or at such other time as the court may direct, disburse the funds as follows: 1. The trustee shall first pay to the debtor directly, or for his benefit as the court may direct, any amount the debtor 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…

Upon election of the parties, the court shall schedule a summary jury trial to be held as soon as convenient. Notice shall be given to the parties by means adequate to ensure their presence at the time and place of the trial. Seven jurors shall be randomly selected in accordance …

A judge of the court having jurisdiction over the case shall preside over a summary jury trial. Counsel for the parties or, if a party is not represented by counsel, a party shall verbally present a summary of the issues in the case and the evidence on behalf of each party. Evide…

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…

The provisions of this chapter apply only to court-referred dispute resolution services. As used in this chapter: "Conciliation" means a process in which a neutral facilitates settlement by clarifying issues and serving as an intermediary for negotiations in a manner which is gen…

While protecting the right to trial by jury, a court, on its own motion or on motion of one of the parties, may refer any contested civil matter, or selected issues in a civil matter, to an orientation session in order to encourage the early resolution of disputes through the use…

When a court has determined that referral to an orientation session is appropriate, an order of referral to a neutral or to a dispute resolution program shall be entered and the parties shall be so notified as expeditiously as possible. The court shall excuse the parties from par…

The orientation session shall be conducted at no cost to the parties. Unless otherwise provided by law, the cost of any subsequent dispute resolution proceeding shall be as agreed to by the parties and the neutral.

A neutral who provides dispute resolution services other than mediation pursuant to this chapter shall provide the court with a written statement of qualifications, describing the neutral's background and relevant training and experience in the field. A dispute resolution program…

A neutral selected to conduct a dispute resolution proceeding under this chapter may encourage and assist the parties in reaching a resolution of their dispute, but may not compel or coerce the parties into entering into a settlement agreement. A neutral has an obligation to rema…

As used in this chapter: "Health care" means any act, professional services in nursing homes, or treatment performed or furnished, or which should have been performed or furnished, by any health care provider for, to, or on behalf of a patient during the patient's medical diagnos…

Each member of the medical review panel shall be reimbursed for his actual and necessary expenses and shall be paid at a rate of fifty dollars per diem for work performed as a member of the panel exclusive of time involved if called as a witness to testify in court. Per diem and …

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia shall promulgate all necessary rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this chapter.

Participation in any medical malpractice review panel proceeding pursuant to this article shall not constitute a waiver by a party to the proceedings of any objections to the review panel procedure.

A. Persons desiring to enter into an agreement to arbitrate medical malpractice claims which have then arisen or may thereafter arise may submit such matters to arbitration under the provisions of Chapter 21 (§ 8.01-577 et seq.) of this title and an agreement to submit such matte…

(a) The provisions of this article shall not apply to any cause of action which arose prior to July 1, 1976, and as to which the statute of limitations had not run prior to that date, regardless of the date any suit brought thereon is filed. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in acti…

A. At any time within thirty days from the filing of the responsive pleading in any action brought for malpractice against a health care provider, the plaintiff or defendant may request a review by a medical malpractice review panel established as provided in § 8.01-581.3. The re…

The judge of the circuit court hearing the case may grant leave to amend the request for a review panel to add additional parties or causes of action in furtherance of the ends of justice except where (i) the request for leave to amend is made less than ten days before the date s…

The medical review panel shall consist of (i) two impartial attorneys and two impartial health care providers, licensed and actively practicing their professions in the Commonwealth and (ii) the judge of a circuit court in which the action was filed, who shall preside over the pa…

At the time that the panel is designated, the Supreme Court shall advise the clerk of the circuit court in which the matter was filed of the names of the panel members. Except for good cause shown, the date for completion of discovery shall not be set beyond 120 days from the dat…

The evidence to be considered by the medical review panel shall be promptly submitted by the respective parties, upon appointment of the panel, to each member of the panel in written form. Either party, upon request, shall be granted a hearing before the panel. The evidence may c…

Upon conclusion of deliberations and rendering of an opinion by the panel, all documentary evidence submitted to the panel, a transcript of the ore tenus hearing, if any, and a copy of the written opinion of the panel shall be filed in the office of the clerk. The record shall be…

Any party may, upon notice to all other parties or their counsel, remove any book, record or document which has been filed with the clerk or has become a part of the permanent record filed with the Executive Secretary for purposes of inspection and copying. The party removing the…

The plaintiff or defendant may request the medical review panel to hold a hearing on any claim referred to the medical review panel, in which case the medical review panel shall conduct a hearing thereon in accordance with § 8.01-581.6 after notice to the parties by means adequat…

In the conduct of its proceedings: 1. The testimony of the witnesses shall be given under oath. Members of the medical review panel, once sworn, shall have the power to administer oaths. 2. In the event a hearing is held, the parties are entitled to be heard, to present relevant …

A. Within thirty days, after receiving all the evidence, the panel shall have the duty, after joint deliberation, to render one or more of the following opinions: 1. The evidence does not support a conclusion that the health care provider failed to comply with the appropriate sta…

Unless the parties otherwise agree, any opinion of the panel shall be rendered no later than six months from the designation of the panel unless the judge shall extend the period one time, not to exceed ninety days, upon a showing of extraordinary circumstances. If the opinion of…

An opinion of the medical review panel shall be admissible as evidence in the action brought by the plaintiff, but shall not be conclusive. Either party shall have the right to call, at his cost, any member of the panel, except the judge, as a witness. If called, each witness sha…

A. For the purposes of this subsection, "health professional" means any clinical psychologist, applied psychologist, school psychologist, dentist, certified emergency medical services provider, licensed professional counselor, licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner, cert…

In any verdict returned against a health care provider in an action for malpractice where the act or acts of malpractice occurred on or after August 1, 1999, which is tried by a jury or in any judgment entered against a health care provider in such an action which is tried withou…

A. Every insurer issuing medical malpractice liability insurance policies covering health care providers in the Commonwealth shall disclose, for the preceding calendar year, information regarding (i) premiums, including total premiums written in the Commonwealth, the number of in…

A. Every member of, or health care professional consultant to, any committee, board, group, commission or other entity shall be immune from civil liability for any act, decision, omission, or utterance done or made in performance of his duties while serving as a member of or cons…

A. For the purposes of this section: "Centralized credentialing service" means (i) gathering information relating to applications for professional staff privileges at any public or licensed private hospital or for participation as a provider in any health maintenance organization…

A. Whenever a laboratory test or other examination of the physical or mental condition of any person is conducted by or under the supervision of a person other than a physician and not at the request or with the authorization of a physician, any report of the results of such test…

A. No physician shall be liable for the failure to review or act on the results of laboratory tests or examinations of the physical or mental condition of any patient, which tests or examinations the physician neither requested nor authorized, unless (i) the report of such result…

A. Any physician, chiropractor, psychologist, podiatrist, veterinarian, or optometrist licensed to practice in the Commonwealth shall be immune from civil liability for any communication, finding, opinion, or conclusion made in performance of his duties while serving as a member …

Any person who provides information to any committee, board, group, commission, or other entity which is authorized to investigate any complaint of physical or mental impairment, that may show that any practitioner of medicine, osteopathy, optometry, chiropractic, podiatry, clini…

A. In any proceeding before a medical malpractice review panel or in any action against a physician, clinical psychologist, clinical social worker, licensed professional counselor, podiatrist, dentist, nurse, hospital, or other health care provider to recover damages alleged to h…

In any civil action brought by an alleged victim of an unanticipated outcome of health care, or in any arbitration or medical malpractice review panel proceeding related to such civil action, the portion of statements, writings, affirmations, benevolent conduct, or benevolent ges…

As used in this chapter: "Mediation" means a process in which a mediator facilitates communication between the parties and, without deciding the issues or imposing a solution on the parties, enables them to understand and to reach a mutually agreeable resolution to their dispute.…

All memoranda, work products and other materials contained in the case files of a mediator or mediation program are confidential. Any communication made in or in connection with the mediation, which relates to the controversy being mediated, including screening, intake, and sched…