{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/20-124.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/20-124.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/20-124.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/20-124.html"}],"law_id":82012,"edition_id":1,"section_id":82012,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-124","catch_line":"Sequestration of record","history":"1978, c. 484; 1990, c. 623.","full_text":"Upon motion of a party to any suit under this chapter, the court may order the record thereof or any agreement of the parties, filed therein, to be sealed and withheld from public inspection and thereafter the same shall only be opened to the parties, their respective attorneys, and to such other persons as the judge of such court at his discretion decides have a proper interest therein.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":293867,"text":"Upon motion of a party to any suit under this chapter, the court may order the record thereof or any agreement of the parties, filed therein, to be sealed and withheld from public inspection and thereafter the same shall only be opened to the parties, their respective attorneys, and to such other persons as the judge of such court at his discretion decides have a proper interest therein.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":12712,"edition_id":1,"name":"Divorce, Affirmation and Annulment","identifier":"6","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12711,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:49","permalink":{"id":178931,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12712,"identifier":"6","token":"20\/6","url":"\/20\/6\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12711,"edition_id":1,"name":"Domestic Relations","identifier":"20","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":178075,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12711,"identifier":"20","token":"20","url":"\/20\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":69694,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-100","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-100\/","token":"20\/6\/20-100","metadata":false},{"id":85663,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-101","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-101\/","token":"20\/6\/20-101","metadata":false},{"id":78351,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-102","catch_line":"When not necessary to allege or prove offer of reconciliation","url":"\/20-102\/","token":"20\/6\/20-102","metadata":false},{"id":84768,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-103","catch_line":"Court may make orders pending suit for divorce, custody or visitation, etc","url":"\/20-103\/","token":"20\/6\/20-103","metadata":false},{"id":70919,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-104","catch_line":"Order of publication against nonresident defendant","url":"\/20-104\/","token":"20\/6\/20-104","metadata":false},{"id":59840,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-104.1","catch_line":"Orders of publication may be combined","url":"\/20-104.1\/","token":"20\/6\/20-104.1","metadata":false},{"id":86285,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-105","catch_line":"Permissible form for orders of publication","url":"\/20-105\/","token":"20\/6\/20-105","metadata":false},{"id":72909,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-105.1","catch_line":"Alternative procedures","url":"\/20-105.1\/","token":"20\/6\/20-105.1","metadata":false},{"id":79519,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-106","catch_line":"Testimony may be required to be given orally; 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costs","url":"\/20-99\/","token":"20\/6\/20-99","metadata":false},{"id":73767,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-99.1","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-99.1\/","token":"20\/6\/20-99.1","metadata":false},{"id":84506,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-99.1:1","catch_line":"How defendant may accept service; waive service","url":"\/20-99.1_1\/","token":"20\/6\/20-99.1_1","metadata":false},{"id":64766,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-99.2","catch_line":"Service in divorce and annulment cases","url":"\/20-99.2\/","token":"20\/6\/20-99.2","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":65664,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-123","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-123\/","token":"20\/6\/20-123","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":72384,"structure_id":12712,"section_number":"20-89","catch_line":"Repealed","url":"\/20-89\/","token":"20\/6\/20-89","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/20-124\/","history_text":"<p>This law was first created in 1978. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 484 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 1978 \u201cActs\u201d aren\u2019t available online. 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 1990, chapter 623.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":179097,"object_type":"law","relational_id":82012,"identifier":"20-124","token":"20\/6\/20-124","url":"\/20-124\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/20-124\/","token":"20\/6\/20-124","dublin_core":{"Title":"Sequestration of record","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 20-124","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>Upon <span class=\"dictionary\">motion<\/span> of a <span class=\"dictionary\">party<\/span> to any suit under this chapter, the <span class=\"dictionary\">court<\/span> may <span class=\"dictionary\">order<\/span> the record thereof or any agreement of the parties, filed therein, to be <span class=\"dictionary\">sealed<\/span> and withheld from public inspection and thereafter the same shall only be opened to the parties, their respective attorneys, and to such other persons as the <span class=\"dictionary\">judge<\/span> of such <span class=\"dictionary\">court<\/span> at his discretion decides have a proper interest therein.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nSEQUESTRATION OF RECORD (\u00a7 20-124)\n\nUpon motion of a party to any suit under this chapter, the court may order the\nrecord thereof or any agreement of the parties, filed therein, to be sealed and\nwithheld from public inspection and thereafter the same shall only be opened to\nthe parties, their respective attorneys, and to such other persons as the judge\nof such court at his discretion decides have a proper interest therein.\n\nHISTORY: 1978, c. 484; 1990, c. 623.","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}}