{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/16.1-122.5.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/16.1-122.5.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/16.1-122.5.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/16.1-122.5.html"}],"law_id":75382,"edition_id":1,"section_id":75382,"structure_id":15889,"section_number":"16.1-122.5","catch_line":"Informal hearings; rules of evidence suspended","history":"1988, c. 799.","full_text":"In trials before the small claims court, witnesses shall be sworn. The general district court judge shall conduct the trial in an informal manner so as to do substantial justice between the parties. The judge shall have the discretion to admit all evidence which may be of probative value although not in accordance with formal rules of practice, procedure, pleading or evidence, except that privileged communications shall not be admissible. The object of such trials shall be to determine the rights of the litigants on the merits and to dispense expeditious justice between the parties.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":270557,"text":"In trials before the small claims court, witnesses shall be sworn. The general district court judge shall conduct the trial in an informal manner so as to do substantial justice between the parties. The judge shall have the discretion to admit all evidence which may be of probative value although not in accordance with formal rules of practice, procedure, pleading or evidence, except that privileged communications shall not be admissible. The object of such trials shall be to determine the rights of the litigants on the merits and to dispense expeditious justice between the parties.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15889,"edition_id":1,"name":"Small Claims Court","identifier":"5","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":13175,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 04:01:15","date_modified":"2026-06-26 04:01:15","permalink":{"id":162651,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15889,"identifier":"5","token":"16.1\/6\/5","url":"\/16.1\/6\/5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":13175,"edition_id":1,"name":"Venue, Jurisdiction and Procedure in Civil Matters","identifier":"6","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12700,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:44:23","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:44:23","permalink":{"id":162373,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13175,"identifier":"6","token":"16.1\/6","url":"\/16.1\/6\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12700,"edition_id":1,"name":"Courts Not of Record","identifier":"16.1","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":160919,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12700,"identifier":"16.1","token":"16.1","url":"\/16.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":78557,"structure_id":15889,"section_number":"16.1-122.1","catch_line":"Small claims court; designated","url":"\/16.1-122.1\/","token":"16.1\/6\/5\/16.1-122.1","metadata":false},{"id":61478,"structure_id":15889,"section_number":"16.1-122.2","catch_line":"Jurisdiction","url":"\/16.1-122.2\/","token":"16.1\/6\/5\/16.1-122.2","metadata":false},{"id":82419,"structure_id":15889,"section_number":"16.1-122.3","catch_line":"Actions; how commenced; notice; continuances; pleadings","url":"\/16.1-122.3\/","token":"16.1\/6\/5\/16.1-122.3","metadata":false},{"id":85511,"structure_id":15889,"section_number":"16.1-122.4","catch_line":"Representation and removal; rights of parties","url":"\/16.1-122.4\/","token":"16.1\/6\/5\/16.1-122.4","metadata":false},{"id":75382,"structure_id":15889,"section_number":"16.1-122.5","catch_line":"Informal hearings; rules of evidence suspended","url":"\/16.1-122.5\/","token":"16.1\/6\/5\/16.1-122.5","metadata":false},{"id":65381,"structure_id":15889,"section_number":"16.1-122.6","catch_line":"Judgment and collection","url":"\/16.1-122.6\/","token":"16.1\/6\/5\/16.1-122.6","metadata":false},{"id":71873,"structure_id":15889,"section_number":"16.1-122.7","catch_line":"Appeals","url":"\/16.1-122.7\/","token":"16.1\/6\/5\/16.1-122.7","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":85511,"structure_id":15889,"section_number":"16.1-122.4","catch_line":"Representation and removal; rights of parties","url":"\/16.1-122.4\/","token":"16.1\/6\/5\/16.1-122.4","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":65381,"structure_id":15889,"section_number":"16.1-122.6","catch_line":"Judgment and collection","url":"\/16.1-122.6\/","token":"16.1\/6\/5\/16.1-122.6","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/16.1-122.5\/","history_text":"<p>This law was first created in 1988. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 799 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. Unfortunately, the 1988 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":162669,"object_type":"law","relational_id":75382,"identifier":"16.1-122.5","token":"16.1\/6\/5\/16.1-122.5","url":"\/16.1-122.5\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/16.1-122.5\/","token":"16.1\/6\/5\/16.1-122.5","dublin_core":{"Title":"Informal hearings; rules of evidence suspended","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 16.1-122.5","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>In <span class=\"dictionary\">trials<\/span> before the small claims <span class=\"dictionary\">court<\/span>, witnesses shall be sworn. The general district <span class=\"dictionary\">court<\/span> <span class=\"dictionary\">judge<\/span> shall conduct the <span class=\"dictionary\">trial<\/span> in an informal manner so as to do substantial justice between the parties. The <span class=\"dictionary\">judge<\/span> shall have the discretion to admit all <span class=\"dictionary\">evidence<\/span> which may be of probative value although not in accordance with formal rules of practice, procedure, pleading or <span class=\"dictionary\">evidence<\/span>, except that privileged communications shall not be <span class=\"dictionary\">admissible<\/span>. The <span class=\"dictionary\">object<\/span> of such <span class=\"dictionary\">trials<\/span> shall be to determine the rights of the <span class=\"dictionary\">litigants<\/span> on the merits and to dispense expeditious justice between the parties.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nINFORMAL HEARINGS; RULES OF EVIDENCE SUSPENDED (\u00a7 16.1-122.5)\n\nIn trials before the small claims court, witnesses shall be sworn. The general\ndistrict court judge shall conduct the trial in an informal manner so as to do\nsubstantial justice between the parties. The judge shall have the discretion to\nadmit all evidence which may be of probative value although not in accordance\nwith formal rules of practice, procedure, pleading or evidence, except that\nprivileged communications shall not be admissible. The object of such trials\nshall be to determine the rights of the litigants on the merits and to dispense\nexpeditious justice between the parties.\n\nHISTORY: 1988, c. 799.","edition":{"id":1,"name":"2025","slug":"2025","date_created":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","date_modified":"2026-06-21 22:39:22","current":1,"order_by":1,"last_import":null}}