In any suit a defendant may, whether the suit is on the court docket or not, confess a judgment in the clerk’s office for so much principal and interest as the plaintiff may be willing to accept a judgment or decree for. The same shall be entered of record by the clerk in the order book and be as final and as valid as if entered in court on the day of such confession. The clerk shall record such judgment or decree and the date and time of the day at which the same was confessed. The lien of such judgment or decree shall run from the time such judgment is recorded on the judgment lien docket of the clerk’s office of the county or city in which land of the defendant lies.

Terms Used In Virginia Code 8.01-431

  • City: means an independent incorporated community which became a city as provided by law before noon on July 1, 1971, or which has within defined boundaries a population of 5,000 or more and which has become a city as provided by law. See Virginia Code 1-208
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.

Code 1955, § 8-355; 1962, c. 388; 1977, c. 617; 2012, c. 802; 2014, c. 330.