Title 8.01, Title 8.01. Civil Remedies and Procedure

The common-law writ of quo warranto and information in the nature of writ of quo warranto is hereby abolished and superseded by the statutory writ of quo warranto.

A writ of quo warranto may be issued and prosecuted in the name of the Commonwealth in any of the following cases: 1. Against a domestic corporation, other than a municipal corporation, for the misuse or nonuse of its corporate privileges and franchises, or for the exercise of a …

A. The Attorney General or attorney for the Commonwealth of any county or city of which the circuit court has jurisdiction of the proceeding, at his own instance or at the relation of any interested person, or any interested person, may apply to such court by petition verified by…

The writ and a copy of the petition attached thereto may be directed to the sheriff of any county or city and shall be served as in other actions.

If the defendant fails to appear in accordance with the writ, the court may hear proof of the allegations of the petition, and if the allegations are sustained, shall give judgment accordingly.

But if service is made by publication, the defendant against whom the judgment is rendered may file a motion within thirty days from the rendition of judgment to have such judgment set aside, upon giving bond with good security as prescribed by the court, with condition to pay al…

The defendant against whom the writ was issued may plead, demur or answer the petition within the time set forth in the writ for his appearance.

Unless the defendant shall ask for a trial by jury, the court shall hear the same. If the case is tried by jury and the defendant is found guilty as to only a part of the charges, the verdict shall be guilty as to such part and shall particularly specify the same. As to the resid…

Except as provided in § 2.2-3713, application for a writ of mandamus or a writ of prohibition shall be on petition verified by oath, after the party against whom the writ is prayed has been served with a copy of the petition and notice of the intended application a reasonable tim…

A petition for extraordinary writ of mandamus, filed by or on behalf of a person confined in a state correctional facility, shall be brought within one year after the cause of action accrues.

The petition shall state plainly and concisely the grounds of the application, concluding with a prayer for the writ, and shall be presented to the court having jurisdiction, unless the application is to the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court.

When the application is made, on proof of notice and service of the copy of the petition as aforesaid, if the defendant fails to appear, or appearing fails to make defense, and the petition states a proper case for the writ, a peremptory writ shall be awarded with costs.

The defendant may file a demurrer or answer on oath to the petition, or both. The court may permit amendments of the pleadings as in other cases.

The court shall award or deny the writ according to the law and facts of the case, with or without costs.

If the application is to the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court, the procedure shall be in accordance with the provisions of Rules of Court.

On petition for a writ of prohibition, the court may, at any time before or after the application for the writ is made, make an order, a copy of which shall be served on the defendant, suspending the proceedings sought to be prohibited until the final decision of the cause.

Whenever a court having jurisdiction refuses to suspend proceedings as provided in § 8.01-650 of this chapter, a copy of the proceedings in court, with any orders entered in the proceedings, may be presented to a judge of the Court of Appeals, if an application for a writ of proh…

Service of a copy of the order awarding the writ shall be equivalent to service of the writ, and obedience to the writ or order may be enforced by process of contempt.

Whenever the Comptroller or the Treasurer of the Commonwealth shall notify the Attorney General, in writing, that they, or either of them, entertain such doubt respecting the proper construction or interpretation of any act of the General Assembly which appropriates or directs th…

Whenever the Comptroller notifies the Attorney General in writing that he entertains doubt respecting the constitutionality of any act of the General Assembly granting an agency of the Commonwealth or other governmental board or entity of the Commonwealth general powers to incur …

A. 1. A petition for a writ of habeas corpus ad subjiciendum may be filed in the Supreme Court or any circuit court showing by affidavits or other evidence that the petitioner is detained without lawful authority. 2. A petition for writ of habeas corpus ad subjiciendum, other tha…

A. Every petition filed by a prisoner seeking a writ of habeas corpus must be filed on the form set forth in subsection B. The failure to use such form and to comply substantially with such form shall entitle the court to which such petition is directed to return such petition to…

A. Except as may be provided in the Rules of Supreme Court of Virginia, no response to a petition for a writ of habeas corpus shall be required except upon an order of the court, directed to the person in whose custody the petitioner is detained or on the person having the immedi…

In the discretion of the court or judge before whom the petitioner is brought, the affidavits of witnesses taken by either party, on reasonable notice to the other, may be read as evidence.

All the material facts proved shall, when it is required by either party, be made a part of the proceedings and entered by the clerk among the records of the court.

After hearing the matter both upon the response and any other evidence, the court shall either discharge or remand the petitioner, grant him any other relief to which he is entitled, or admit him to bail and adjudge the cost of the proceeding, including the charge for transportin…

Any such judgment entered of record shall be conclusive, unless the same be reversed, except that the petitioner shall not be precluded from bringing the same matter in question in an action for false imprisonment.

If, during the recess of the Supreme Court, the Governor or the Chief Justice of the Court should think the immediate revision of any such judgment to be proper, he may summon the Court for that purpose, to meet on any day to be fixed by him.

When the prisoner is remanded, the execution of the judgment shall not be suspended by a petition for appeal or by a writ of error, or for the purpose of applying for such writ. When he is ordered to be discharged, and the execution of the judgment is suspended for the purpose of…

Writs of habeas corpus ad testificandum may be granted by any circuit court in the same manner and under the same conditions and provisions as are prescribed by this chapter as to granting the writ of habeas corpus ad subjiciendum so far as the same are applicable.

Whenever any habeas corpus case is pending in a federal court, upon written request of the Attorney General or any assistant attorney general, a court of this Commonwealth shall transmit to such federal court such records as may be requested.

The writ de homine replegiando is abolished.

As used in Chapters 26, 26.1 and 26.2, unless the context otherwise requires, the term: "Judgment" includes a decree, order, finding, or award. "Petitioner" means a party who petitions to the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court for an appeal. "Appellant" means any aggrieved par…

A. Security for costs of appeal of right to Court of Appeals in civil cases. A party filing a notice of an appeal of right to the Court of Appeals in a civil case shall simultaneously file an appeal bond or irrevocable letter of credit in the penalty of $500, or such sum as the t…

A party aggrieved by a final decision of the Court of Appeals may petition the Supreme Court for an appeal in accordance with § 17.1-411.

A. When, prior to the commencement of trial, the circuit court has entered in any pending civil action an order granting or denying a plea of sovereign, absolute, or qualified immunity that, if granted, would immunize the movant from compulsory participation in the proceeding, th…

When a circuit court (i) grants or denies a motion to close any proceeding not otherwise authorized to be closed, (ii) issues sua sponte an order closing any proceeding not otherwise authorized to be closed, or (iii) affirms or reverses an order of any general district court or j…

A. In cases where an appeal is permitted from the trial court to the Supreme Court, no petition shall be presented for an appeal to the Supreme Court from any final judgment, whether the Commonwealth be a party or not, that was rendered more than 90 days before the petition is pr…

For any clerical error or error in fact for which a judgment may be reversed or corrected on writ of error coram vobis, the same may be reversed or corrected on motion, after reasonable notice, by the court.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Code, no appeal which was otherwise properly and timely filed shall be dismissed for want of jurisdiction solely because it was filed in either the Supreme Court or the Court of Appeals and the appellate court in which it was filed the…

When it plainly appears from the record and the evidence given at the trial that the parties have had a fair trial on the merits and substantial justice has been reached, no judgment shall be arrested or reversed: 1. For the appearance of either party, being under the age of eigh…

A. The Supreme Court may, when a case has before been in an appellate court, inspect the record upon the former appeal; and the court may, in any case, after reasonable notice to counsel in the appellate court, award a writ of certiorari to the clerk of the court below, and have …

Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, no appeal shall be refused or dismissed for failure to deliver the record within the required time if it shall appear from evidence satisfactory to the appellate court that the clerk of the court below failed to deliver to the…

It shall not be necessary for any party to expressly reserve in oral argument any argument made on brief before an appellate court and failure to raise any such argument on oral argument shall not constitute a waiver.

When a case, civil or criminal, is tried by a jury and a party objects to the judgment or action of the court in granting or refusing to grant a new trial on a motion to set aside the verdict of a jury on the ground that it is contrary to the evidence, or when a case is decided b…

The appellate court shall affirm the judgment if there is no error therein, and reverse the same, in whole or in part, if erroneous, and enter such judgment as to the court shall seem right and proper and shall render final judgment upon the merits whenever, in the opinion of the…