Virginia Code 16.1-278.18: Money judgments
A. Each juvenile and domestic relations district court may enter judgment for money in any amount for arrears of support and maintenance of any person in cases in which (i) the court has previously acquired personal jurisdiction over all necessary parties or a proceeding in which such jurisdiction has been obtained has been referred or transferred to the court by a circuit court or another juvenile and domestic relations district court and (ii) payment of such money has been previously ordered by the court, a circuit court, or another juvenile and domestic relations district court. Such judgment shall include reasonable attorneys’ fees in cases where the total arrearage for support and maintenance, excluding interest, is equal to or greater than three months of support and maintenance. However, no judgment shall be entered unless the motion of a party, a probation officer, a local director of social services, or the court’s own motion is duly served on the person against whom judgment is sought, in accordance with the applicable provisions of law relating to notice when proceedings are reopened. The motion shall contain a caption stating the name of the court, the title of the action, the names of all parties and the address of the party against whom judgment is sought, the amount of arrearage for which judgment is sought, and the date and time when such judgment will be sought. No support order may be retroactively modified. It may, however, be modified with respect to any period during which there is a pending petition for modification in any court, but only from the date that notice of such petition has been given to the responding party.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 16.1-278.18
- Department: means the Department of Juvenile Justice and "Director" means the administrative head in charge thereof or such of his assistants and subordinates as are designated by him to discharge the duties imposed upon him under this law. See Virginia Code 16.1-228
- judge: means the judge or the substitute judge of the juvenile and domestic relations district court of each county or city. See Virginia Code 16.1-228
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- law: means the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Law embraced in this chapter. See Virginia Code 16.1-228
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
B. The judge or clerk of the court shall, upon written request of the obligee under a judgment entered pursuant to this section, certify and deliver an abstract of that judgment to the obligee or Department of Social Services, who may deliver the abstract to the clerk of the circuit court having jurisdiction over appeals from juvenile and domestic relations district court. The clerk shall issue executions of the judgment.
C. If the judgment amount does not exceed the jurisdictional limits of subdivision (1) of § 16.1-77, exclusive of interest and any attorneys’ fees, an abstract of any such judgment entered pursuant to this section may be delivered to the clerk of the general district court of the same judicial district. The clerk shall issue executions upon the judgment.
D. Arrearages accumulated prior to July 1, 1976, shall also be subject to the provisions of this section.