{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/20-88.61.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/20-88.61.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/20-88.61.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/20-88.61.html"}],"law_id":353755,"edition_id":2,"section_id":353755,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.61","catch_line":"Assistance with discovery","history":"1994, c. 673; 2015, c. 727.","full_text":"A tribunal of the Commonwealth may (i) request a tribunal outside the Commonwealth to assist in obtaining discovery and (ii) upon request, compel a person over which it has jurisdiction to respond to a discovery order issued by a tribunal outside the Commonwealth.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1317851,"text":"A tribunal of the Commonwealth may (i) request a tribunal outside the Commonwealth to assist in obtaining discovery and (ii) upon request, compel a person over which it has jurisdiction to respond to a discovery order issued by a tribunal outside the Commonwealth.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":50647,"edition_id":2,"name":"Civil Provisions of General Application","identifier":"5","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":5,"parent_id":50642,"metadata":{"child_laws":19,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:30:39","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:51","permalink":{"id":1405747,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50647,"identifier":"5","token":"20\/5.3\/5","url":"\/20\/5.3\/5\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50642,"edition_id":2,"name":"Uniform Interstate Family Support Act","identifier":"5.3","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":10,"parent_id":50619,"metadata":{"child_laws":77,"child_structures":13},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:30:37","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:50","permalink":{"id":1405597,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50642,"identifier":"5.3","token":"20\/5.3","url":"\/20\/5.3\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50619,"edition_id":2,"name":"Domestic Relations","identifier":"20","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":56,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":329,"child_structures":36},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:30:08","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:49","permalink":{"id":1405077,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50619,"identifier":"20","token":"20","url":"\/20\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":353738,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.44","catch_line":"Proceedings under this chapter","url":"\/20-88.44\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.44","metadata":false},{"id":353739,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.45","catch_line":"Action by minor parent","url":"\/20-88.45\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.45","metadata":false},{"id":353740,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.46","catch_line":"Application of law of the Commonwealth","url":"\/20-88.46\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.46","metadata":false},{"id":353741,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.47","catch_line":"Duties of initiating tribunal","url":"\/20-88.47\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.47","metadata":false},{"id":353742,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.48","catch_line":"Duties and powers of responding tribunal","url":"\/20-88.48\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.48","metadata":false},{"id":353743,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.49","catch_line":"Inappropriate tribunal","url":"\/20-88.49\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.49","metadata":false},{"id":353744,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.50","catch_line":"Duties of support enforcement agency","url":"\/20-88.50\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.50","metadata":false},{"id":353745,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.51","catch_line":"Duty of Secretary of Health and Human Resources","url":"\/20-88.51\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.51","metadata":false},{"id":353746,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.52","catch_line":"Private counsel","url":"\/20-88.52\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.52","metadata":false},{"id":353747,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.53","catch_line":"Duties of state information agency","url":"\/20-88.53\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.53","metadata":false},{"id":353748,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.54","catch_line":"Pleadings and accompanying documents","url":"\/20-88.54\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.54","metadata":false},{"id":353749,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.55","catch_line":"Nondisclosure of information in exceptional circumstances","url":"\/20-88.55\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.55","metadata":false},{"id":353750,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.56","catch_line":"Costs and fees","url":"\/20-88.56\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.56","metadata":false},{"id":353751,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.57","catch_line":"Limited immunity of petitioner","url":"\/20-88.57\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.57","metadata":false},{"id":353752,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.58","catch_line":"Nonparentage as defense","url":"\/20-88.58\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.58","metadata":false},{"id":353753,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.59","catch_line":"Special rules of evidence and procedure","url":"\/20-88.59\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.59","metadata":false},{"id":353754,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.60","catch_line":"Communications between tribunals","url":"\/20-88.60\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.60","metadata":false},{"id":353755,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.61","catch_line":"Assistance with discovery","url":"\/20-88.61\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.61","metadata":false},{"id":353756,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.62","catch_line":"Receipt and disbursement of payments","url":"\/20-88.62\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.62","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":353754,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.60","catch_line":"Communications between tribunals","url":"\/20-88.60\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.60","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":353756,"structure_id":50647,"section_number":"20-88.62","catch_line":"Receipt and disbursement of payments","url":"\/20-88.62\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.62","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/20-88.61\/","history_text":"<p>This law was first created in 1994. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter <a href=\"https:\/\/legacylis.virginia.gov\/cgi-bin\/legp604.exe?941+ful+CHAP0673\">673<\/a> of that year\u2019s edition of \u201cActs of Assembly,\u201d the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. It has been modified 1 time. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. That modification is as follows: in 2015, chapter <a href=\"https:\/\/legacylis.virginia.gov\/cgi-bin\/legp604.exe?151+ful+CHAP0727\">727<\/a>.<\/p>","references":[{"id":353736,"section_number":"20-88.43:1","catch_line":"Application to nonresident subject to personal jurisdiction","order_by":null,"url":"\/20-88.43_1\/"}],"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1405817,"object_type":"law","relational_id":353755,"identifier":"20-88.61","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.61","url":"\/20-88.61\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/20-88.61\/","token":"20\/5.3\/5\/20-88.61","dublin_core":{"Title":"Assistance with discovery","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 20-88.61","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>A <span class=\"dictionary\">tribunal<\/span> of the Commonwealth may (i) request a <span class=\"dictionary\">tribunal<\/span> <span class=\"dictionary\">outside the Commonwealth<\/span> to assist in obtaining <span class=\"dictionary\">discovery<\/span> and (ii) upon request, compel a <span class=\"dictionary\">person<\/span> over which it has <span class=\"dictionary\">jurisdiction<\/span> to respond to a <span class=\"dictionary\">discovery<\/span> <span class=\"dictionary\">order<\/span> issued by a <span class=\"dictionary\">tribunal<\/span> <span class=\"dictionary\">outside the Commonwealth<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nASSISTANCE WITH DISCOVERY (\u00a7 20-88.61)\n\nA tribunal of the Commonwealth may (i) request a tribunal outside the\nCommonwealth to assist in obtaining discovery and (ii) upon request, compel a\nperson over which it has jurisdiction to respond to a discovery order issued by\na tribunal outside the Commonwealth.\n\nHISTORY: 1994, c. 673; 2015, c. 727.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}