{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/8.01-216.2.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/8.01-216.2.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/8.01-216.2.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/8.01-216.2.html"}],"law_id":70410,"edition_id":1,"section_id":70410,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.2","catch_line":"Definitions","history":"2002, c. 842; 2011, cc. 651, 676.","full_text":"As used in this article, unless the context requires otherwise:\n\t\t“Attorney General” means the Attorney General of Virginia, the Chief Deputy, other deputies, counsels or assistant attorneys general employed by the Office of the Attorney General and designated by the Attorney General to act pursuant to this article.\n\t\t“Claim” means any request or demand, whether under a contract or otherwise, for money or property, regardless of whether the Commonwealth has title to the money or property, that (i) is presented to an officer, employee, or agent of the Commonwealth or (ii) is made to a contractor, grantee, or other recipient (a) if the money or property is to be spent or used on the Commonwealth’s behalf or to advance a governmental program or interest and (b) if the Commonwealth provides or has provided any portion of the money or property requested or demanded or will reimburse such contractor, grantee, or other recipient for any portion of the money or property that is requested or demanded. For purposes of this article, “claim” does not include requests or demands for money or property that the Commonwealth has paid to an individual as compensation for employment with the Commonwealth or as income subsidy with no restriction on that individual’s use of the money or property.\n\t\t“Commonwealth” means the Commonwealth of Virginia, any agency of state government, and any political subdivision of the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Documentary material” means the original or any copy of any book, record, report, memorandum, paper, communication, tabulation, chart, or other document, or data compilations stored in or accessible through computer or other information retrieval systems, together with instructions and all other materials necessary to use or interpret such data compilations, and any product of discovery.\n\t\t“Employee” includes an employee or officer of the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Employer” includes the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Investigation” means any inquiry conducted by an investigator for the purpose of ascertaining whether any person is or has been engaged in any violation of this article.\n\t\t“Material” means having a natural tendency to influence, or be capable of influencing, the payment or receipt of money or property.\n\t\t“Obligation” means an established duty, whether or not fixed, arising from (i) an express or implied contractual, grantor-grantee, or licensor-licensee relationship; (ii) a fee-based or similar relationship; (iii) a statute or regulation; or (iv) the retention of any overpayment.\n\t\t“Official use” means any use that is consistent with the law, regulations, and policies of the Commonwealth, including use in connection with (i) internal memoranda and reports of the Office of the Attorney General; (ii) communications between the Office of the Attorney General and a federal, state, or local government agency, or a contractor of a federal, state, or local government agency, undertaken in furtherance of an Office of the Attorney General investigation or prosecution of a case; (iii) interviews of any qui tam relator or other witness; (iv) oral examinations; (v) depositions; (vi) the preparation for and response to civil discovery requests; (vii) the introduction into the record of a case or proceeding; (viii) applications, motions, memoranda, and briefs submitted to a court or other tribunal; and (ix) communications with government investigators, auditors, consultants, experts, the counsel of other parties, arbitrators, and mediators, concerning an investigation, case, or proceeding.\n\t\t“Person” includes any natural person, corporation, firm, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business or trust.\n\t\t“Product of discovery” means (i) the original or duplicate of any deposition, interrogatory, document, thing, result of the inspection of land or other property, examination, or admission, which is obtained by any method of discovery in any judicial or administrative proceeding of an adversarial nature; (ii) any digest, analysis, selection, compilation, or derivation of any item listed in clause (i); and (iii) any index or other manner of access to any item listed in clause (i).","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":254112,"text":"As used in this article, unless the context requires otherwise:\n\t\t“Attorney General” means the Attorney General of Virginia, the Chief Deputy, other deputies, counsels or assistant attorneys general employed by the Office of the Attorney General and designated by the Attorney General to act pursuant to this article.\n\t\t“Claim” means any request or demand, whether under a contract or otherwise, for money or property, regardless of whether the Commonwealth has title to the money or property, that (i) is presented to an officer, employee, or agent of the Commonwealth or (ii) is made to a contractor, grantee, or other recipient (a) if the money or property is to be spent or used on the Commonwealth’s behalf or to advance a governmental program or interest and (b) if the Commonwealth provides or has provided any portion of the money or property requested or demanded or will reimburse such contractor, grantee, or other recipient for any portion of the money or property that is requested or demanded. For purposes of this article, “claim” does not include requests or demands for money or property that the Commonwealth has paid to an individual as compensation for employment with the Commonwealth or as income subsidy with no restriction on that individual’s use of the money or property.\n\t\t“Commonwealth” means the Commonwealth of Virginia, any agency of state government, and any political subdivision of the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Documentary material” means the original or any copy of any book, record, report, memorandum, paper, communication, tabulation, chart, or other document, or data compilations stored in or accessible through computer or other information retrieval systems, together with instructions and all other materials necessary to use or interpret such data compilations, and any product of discovery.\n\t\t“Employee” includes an employee or officer of the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Employer” includes the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Investigation” means any inquiry conducted by an investigator for the purpose of ascertaining whether any person is or has been engaged in any violation of this article.\n\t\t“Material” means having a natural tendency to influence, or be capable of influencing, the payment or receipt of money or property.\n\t\t“Obligation” means an established duty, whether or not fixed, arising from (i) an express or implied contractual, grantor-grantee, or licensor-licensee relationship; (ii) a fee-based or similar relationship; (iii) a statute or regulation; or (iv) the retention of any overpayment.\n\t\t“Official use” means any use that is consistent with the law, regulations, and policies of the Commonwealth, including use in connection with (i) internal memoranda and reports of the Office of the Attorney General; (ii) communications between the Office of the Attorney General and a federal, state, or local government agency, or a contractor of a federal, state, or local government agency, undertaken in furtherance of an Office of the Attorney General investigation or prosecution of a case; (iii) interviews of any qui tam relator or other witness; (iv) oral examinations; (v) depositions; (vi) the preparation for and response to civil discovery requests; (vii) the introduction into the record of a case or proceeding; (viii) applications, motions, memoranda, and briefs submitted to a court or other tribunal; and (ix) communications with government investigators, auditors, consultants, experts, the counsel of other parties, arbitrators, and mediators, concerning an investigation, case, or proceeding.\n\t\t“Person” includes any natural person, corporation, firm, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business or trust.\n\t\t“Product of discovery” means (i) the original or duplicate of any deposition, interrogatory, document, thing, result of the inspection of land or other property, examination, or admission, which is obtained by any method of discovery in any judicial or administrative proceeding of an adversarial nature; (ii) any digest, analysis, selection, compilation, or derivation of any item listed in clause (i); and (iii) any index or other manner of access to any item listed in clause (i).","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":14503,"edition_id":1,"name":"Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act","identifier":"19.1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12886,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:48:23","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:48:23","permalink":{"id":280295,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":14503,"identifier":"19.1","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1","url":"\/8.01\/3\/19.1\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12886,"edition_id":1,"name":"Actions","identifier":"3","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12747,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:59","permalink":{"id":279635,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12886,"identifier":"3","token":"8.01\/3","url":"\/8.01\/3\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12747,"edition_id":1,"name":"Civil Remedies and Procedure","identifier":"8.01","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":1,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:51","permalink":{"id":277029,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12747,"identifier":"8.01","token":"8.01","url":"\/8.01\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":63269,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.1","catch_line":"Citation","url":"\/8.01-216.1\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.1","metadata":false},{"id":80446,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.10","catch_line":"Civil investigative demands; issuance; sharing information","url":"\/8.01-216.10\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.10","metadata":false},{"id":66800,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.11","catch_line":"Civil investigative demands; contents and deadlines","url":"\/8.01-216.11\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.11","metadata":false},{"id":80475,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.12","catch_line":"Civil investigative demands; protected material or information","url":"\/8.01-216.12\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.12","metadata":false},{"id":68310,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.13","catch_line":"Civil investigative demands; service and jurisdiction","url":"\/8.01-216.13\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.13","metadata":false},{"id":69616,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.14","catch_line":"Civil investigative demands; documentary material","url":"\/8.01-216.14\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.14","metadata":false},{"id":80936,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.15","catch_line":"Civil investigative demands; interrogatories","url":"\/8.01-216.15\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.15","metadata":false},{"id":69043,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.16","catch_line":"Civil investigative demands; oral examinations","url":"\/8.01-216.16\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.16","metadata":false},{"id":77256,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.17","catch_line":"Civil investigative demands; custodian of documents; answers","url":"\/8.01-216.17\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.17","metadata":false},{"id":58226,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.18","catch_line":"Civil investigative demands; judicial proceedings for noncompliance","url":"\/8.01-216.18\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.18","metadata":false},{"id":57943,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.19","catch_line":"Application of the Rules of the Supreme Court","url":"\/8.01-216.19\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.19","metadata":false},{"id":70410,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.2","catch_line":"Definitions","url":"\/8.01-216.2\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.2","metadata":false},{"id":86532,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.3","catch_line":"False claims; civil penalty","url":"\/8.01-216.3\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.3","metadata":false},{"id":84880,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.4","catch_line":"Attorney General; investigation, civil action","url":"\/8.01-216.4\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.4","metadata":false},{"id":55916,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.5","catch_line":"Civil actions filed by private persons; Commonwealth may intervene","url":"\/8.01-216.5\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.5","metadata":false},{"id":75094,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.6","catch_line":"Rights of private plaintiff and Commonwealth","url":"\/8.01-216.6\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.6","metadata":false},{"id":58483,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.7","catch_line":"Award to private plaintiff","url":"\/8.01-216.7\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.7","metadata":false},{"id":75318,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.8","catch_line":"Certain actions barred; relief from employment discrimination; waiver of sovereign immunity","url":"\/8.01-216.8\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.8","metadata":false},{"id":66313,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.9","catch_line":"Procedure; statute of limitations","url":"\/8.01-216.9\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.9","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":57943,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.19","catch_line":"Application of the Rules of the Supreme Court","url":"\/8.01-216.19\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.19","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":86532,"structure_id":14503,"section_number":"8.01-216.3","catch_line":"False claims; civil penalty","url":"\/8.01-216.3\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.3","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/8.01-216.2\/","history_text":"

This law was first created in 2002. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 842<\/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 2011, chapters 651<\/a> and 676<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":280341,"object_type":"law","relational_id":70410,"identifier":"8.01-216.2","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.2","url":"\/8.01-216.2\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/8.01-216.2\/","token":"8.01\/3\/19.1\/8.01-216.2","dublin_core":{"Title":"Definitions","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 8.01-216.2","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

As used in this article, unless the context requires otherwise:\n\t\t“Attorney General<\/span>” means the Attorney General<\/span> of Virginia, the Chief Deputy, other deputies, counsels<\/span> or assistant attorneys general employed by the Office of the Attorney General<\/span> and designated by the Attorney General<\/span> to act pursuant to this article.\n\t\t“Claim<\/span>” means any request or demand, whether under a contract<\/span> or otherwise, for money or property, regardless of whether the Commonwealth<\/span> has title to the money or property, that (i) is presented to an officer, employee<\/span>, or agent of the Commonwealth<\/span> or (ii) is made to a contractor, grantee, or other recipient (a) if the money or property is to be spent or used on the Commonwealth<\/span>’s behalf or to advance a governmental program or interest and (b) if the Commonwealth<\/span> provides or has provided any portion of the money or property requested or demanded or will reimburse such contractor, grantee, or other recipient for any portion of the money or property that is requested or demanded. For purposes of this article, “claim<\/span>” does not include requests or demands for money or property that the Commonwealth<\/span> has paid to an individual as compensation for employment with the Commonwealth<\/span> or as income subsidy with no restriction on that individual’s use of the money or property.\n\t\t“Commonwealth<\/span>” means the Commonwealth<\/span> of Virginia, any agency of state government, and any political subdivision of the Commonwealth<\/span>.\n\t\t“Documentary material<\/span>” means the original or any copy of any book, record, report, memorandum<\/span>, paper, communication, tabulation, chart, or other document, or data compilations stored in or accessible through computer or other information retrieval systems, together with instructions and all other materials<\/span> necessary to use or interpret such data compilations, and any product of discovery<\/span>.\n\t\t“Employee<\/span>” includes an employee<\/span> or officer of the Commonwealth<\/span>.\n\t\t“Employer<\/span>” includes the Commonwealth<\/span>.\n\t\t“Investigation<\/span>” means any inquiry conducted by an investigator for the purpose of ascertaining whether any person<\/span> is or has been engaged in any violation of this article.\n\t\t“Material” means having a natural tendency to influence, or be capable of influencing, the payment or receipt of money or property.\n\t\t“Obligation<\/span>” means an established duty, whether or not fixed, arising from (i) an express or implied contractual, grantor-grantee, or licensor-licensee relationship; (ii) a fee-based or similar relationship; (iii) a statute<\/span> or regulation; or (iv) the retention of any overpayment.\n\t\t“Official use<\/span>” means any use that is consistent with the law<\/span>, regulations, and policies of the Commonwealth<\/span>, including use in connection with (i) internal memoranda and reports of the Office of the Attorney General<\/span>; (ii) communications between the Office of the Attorney General<\/span> and a federal, state, or local government agency, or a contractor of a federal, state, or local government agency, undertaken in furtherance of an Office of the Attorney General<\/span> investigation<\/span> or prosecution<\/span> of a case; (iii) interviews of any qui tam relator or other witness<\/span>; (iv) oral examinations; (v) depositions<\/span>; (vi) the preparation for and response to civil discovery requests; (vii) the introduction into the record of a case or proceeding; (viii) applications, motions<\/span>, memoranda, and briefs<\/span> submitted to a court<\/span> or other tribunal; and (ix) communications with government investigators, auditors, consultants, experts, the counsel<\/span> of other parties, arbitrators, and mediators, concerning an investigation<\/span>, case, or proceeding.\n\t\t“Person<\/span>” includes any natural person<\/span>, corporation, firm, association, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business or trust.\n\t\t“Product of discovery<\/span>” means (i) the original or duplicate of any deposition<\/span>, interrogatory<\/span>, document, thing, result of the inspection of land or other property, examination, or admission, which is obtained by any method of discovery in any judicial or administrative proceeding of an adversarial nature; (ii) any digest, analysis, selection, compilation, or derivation of any item listed in clause (i); and (iii) any index or other manner of access to any item listed in clause (i).<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nDEFINITIONS (\u00a7 8.01-216.2)\n\nAs used in this article, unless the context requires otherwise:\n\t\t“Attorney General” means the Attorney General of Virginia, the\nChief Deputy, other deputies, counsels or assistant attorneys general employed\nby the Office of the Attorney General and designated by the Attorney General to\nact pursuant to this article.\n\t\t“Claim” means any request or demand, whether under a contract or\notherwise, for money or property, regardless of whether the Commonwealth has\ntitle to the money or property, that (i) is presented to an officer, employee,\nor agent of the Commonwealth or (ii) is made to a contractor, grantee, or other\nrecipient (a) if the money or property is to be spent or used on the\nCommonwealth’s behalf or to advance a governmental program or interest and\n(b) if the Commonwealth provides or has provided any portion of the money or\nproperty requested or demanded or will reimburse such contractor, grantee, or\nother recipient for any portion of the money or property that is requested or\ndemanded. For purposes of this article, “claim” does not include\nrequests or demands for money or property that the Commonwealth has paid to an\nindividual as compensation for employment with the Commonwealth or as income\nsubsidy with no restriction on that individual’s use of the money or\nproperty.\n\t\t“Commonwealth” means the Commonwealth of Virginia, any agency of\nstate government, and any political subdivision of the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Documentary material” means the original or any copy of any book,\nrecord, report, memorandum, paper, communication, tabulation, chart, or other\ndocument, or data compilations stored in or accessible through computer or other\ninformation retrieval systems, together with instructions and all other\nmaterials necessary to use or interpret such data compilations, and any product\nof discovery.\n\t\t“Employee” includes an employee or officer of the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Employer” includes the Commonwealth.\n\t\t“Investigation” means any inquiry conducted by an investigator for\nthe purpose of ascertaining whether any person is or has been engaged in any\nviolation of this article.\n\t\t“Material” means having a natural tendency to influence, or be\ncapable of influencing, the payment or receipt of money or property.\n\t\t“Obligation” means an established duty, whether or not fixed,\narising from (i) an express or implied contractual, grantor-grantee, or\nlicensor-licensee relationship; (ii) a fee-based or similar relationship; (iii)\na statute or regulation; or (iv) the retention of any overpayment.\n\t\t“Official use” means any use that is consistent with the law,\nregulations, and policies of the Commonwealth, including use in connection with\n(i) internal memoranda and reports of the Office of the Attorney General; (ii)\ncommunications between the Office of the Attorney General and a federal, state,\nor local government agency, or a contractor of a federal, state, or local\ngovernment agency, undertaken in furtherance of an Office of the Attorney\nGeneral investigation or prosecution of a case; (iii) interviews of any qui tam\nrelator or other witness; (iv) oral examinations; (v) depositions; (vi) the\npreparation for and response to civil discovery requests; (vii) the introduction\ninto the record of a case or proceeding; (viii) applications, motions,\nmemoranda, and briefs submitted to a court or other tribunal; and (ix)\ncommunications with government investigators, auditors, consultants, experts,\nthe counsel of other parties, arbitrators, and mediators, concerning an\ninvestigation, case, or proceeding.\n\t\t“Person” includes any natural person, corporation, firm,\nassociation, organization, partnership, limited liability company, business or\ntrust.\n\t\t“Product of discovery” means (i) the original or duplicate of any\ndeposition, interrogatory, document, thing, result of the inspection of land or\nother property, examination, or admission, which is obtained by any method of\ndiscovery in any judicial or administrative proceeding of an adversarial nature;\n(ii) any digest, analysis, selection, compilation, or derivation of any item\nlisted in clause (i); and (iii) any index or other manner of access to any item\nlisted in clause (i).\n\nHISTORY: 2002, c. 842; 2011, cc. 651, 676.","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}}