{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/8.01-403.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/8.01-403.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/8.01-403.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/8.01-403.html"}],"law_id":74616,"edition_id":1,"section_id":74616,"structure_id":13957,"section_number":"8.01-403","catch_line":"Witness proving adverse; contradiction; prior inconsistent statement (Subsection (c) of Supreme Court Rule 2:607 and subdivision (a)(i) of Supreme Court Rule 2:613 derived from this section)","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 8-292; 1977, c. 617.","full_text":"A party producing a witness shall not be allowed to impeach his credit by general evidence of bad character, but he may, in case the witness shall in the opinion of the court prove adverse, by leave of the court, prove that he has made at other times a statement inconsistent with his present testimony; but before such last mentioned proof can be given the circumstances of the supposed statement, sufficient to designate the particular occasion, must be mentioned to the witness, and he must be asked whether or not he has made such statement. In every such case the court, if requested by either party, shall instruct the jury not to consider the evidence of such inconsistent statements, except for the purpose of contradicting the witness.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":268175,"text":"A party producing a witness shall not be allowed to impeach his credit by general evidence of bad character, but he may, in case the witness shall in the opinion of the court prove adverse, by leave of the court, prove that he has made at other times a statement inconsistent with his present testimony; but before such last mentioned proof can be given the circumstances of the supposed statement, sufficient to designate the particular occasion, must be mentioned to the witness, and he must be asked whether or not he has made such statement. In every such case the court, if requested by either party, shall instruct the jury not to consider the evidence of such inconsistent statements, except for the purpose of contradicting the witness.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":13957,"edition_id":1,"name":"Witnesses Generally","identifier":"4","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12870,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:46:25","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:46:25","permalink":{"id":277427,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":13957,"identifier":"4","token":"8.01\/14\/4","url":"\/8.01\/14\/4\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":12870,"edition_id":1,"name":"Evidence","identifier":"14","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12747,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:43:57","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:43:57","permalink":{"id":277357,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":12870,"identifier":"14","token":"8.01\/14","url":"\/8.01\/14\/","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":74141,"structure_id":13957,"section_number":"8.01-396","catch_line":"No person incompetent to testify by reason of interest, or because a party","url":"\/8.01-396\/","token":"8.01\/14\/4\/8.01-396","metadata":false},{"id":86691,"structure_id":13957,"section_number":"8.01-396.1","catch_line":"Competency of witness","url":"\/8.01-396.1\/","token":"8.01\/14\/4\/8.01-396.1","metadata":false},{"id":69399,"structure_id":13957,"section_number":"8.01-396.2","catch_line":"Minor witness; 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contradiction; prior inconsistent statement (Subsection (c) of Supreme Court Rule 2:607 and subdivision (a)(i) of Supreme Court Rule 2:613 derived from this section)","url":"\/8.01-403\/","token":"8.01\/14\/4\/8.01-403","metadata":false},{"id":72125,"structure_id":13957,"section_number":"8.01-404","catch_line":"Contradiction by prior inconsistent writing (Subdivision (b)(i) of Supreme Court Rule 2:613 derived in part from this section and subdivision (b)(ii) of Supreme Court Rule 2:613 derived from this section)","url":"\/8.01-404\/","token":"8.01\/14\/4\/8.01-404","metadata":false},{"id":60442,"structure_id":13957,"section_number":"8.01-405","catch_line":"Who may administer oath to witness","url":"\/8.01-405\/","token":"8.01\/14\/4\/8.01-405","metadata":false},{"id":83241,"structure_id":13957,"section_number":"8.01-406","catch_line":"Interpreters; recording testimony of deaf witness (Supreme Court Rule 2:604 derived from this section)","url":"\/8.01-406\/","token":"8.01\/14\/4\/8.01-406","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":55390,"structure_id":13957,"section_number":"8.01-402","catch_line":"Members of Department of Motor Vehicles' Crash Investigation Team not to be required to give evidence in certain cases","url":"\/8.01-402\/","token":"8.01\/14\/4\/8.01-402","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":72125,"structure_id":13957,"section_number":"8.01-404","catch_line":"Contradiction by prior inconsistent writing (Subdivision (b)(i) of Supreme Court Rule 2:613 derived in part from this section and subdivision (b)(ii) of Supreme Court Rule 2:613 derived from this section)","url":"\/8.01-404\/","token":"8.01\/14\/4\/8.01-404","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/8.01-403\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\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 1977, chapter 617.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":277493,"object_type":"law","relational_id":74616,"identifier":"8.01-403","token":"8.01\/14\/4\/8.01-403","url":"\/8.01-403\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/8.01-403\/","token":"8.01\/14\/4\/8.01-403","dublin_core":{"Title":"Witness proving adverse; contradiction; prior inconsistent statement (Subsection (c) of Supreme Court Rule 2:607 and subdivision (a)(i) of Supreme Court Rule 2:613 derived from this section)","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 8.01-403","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

A party<\/span> producing a witness<\/span> shall not be allowed to impeach his credit by general evidence<\/span> of bad character, but he may, in case the witness<\/span> shall in the opinion<\/span> of the court<\/span> prove adverse, by leave of the court<\/span>, prove that he has made at other times a statement inconsistent with his present testimony<\/span>; but before such last mentioned proof can be given the circumstances of the supposed statement, sufficient to designate the particular occasion, must be mentioned to the witness<\/span>, and he must be asked whether or not he has made such statement. In every such case the court<\/span>, if requested by either party<\/span>, shall instruct the jury<\/span> not to consider the evidence<\/span> of such inconsistent statements, except for the purpose of contradicting the witness<\/span>.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nWITNESS PROVING ADVERSE; CONTRADICTION; PRIOR INCONSISTENT STATEMENT (SUBSECTION\n(C) OF SUPREME COURT RULE 2:607 AND SUBDIVISION (A)(I) OF SUPREME COURT RULE\n2:613 DERIVED FROM THIS SECTION) (\u00a7 8.01-403)\n\nA party producing a witness shall not be allowed to impeach his credit by\ngeneral evidence of bad character, but he may, in case the witness shall in the\nopinion of the court prove adverse, by leave of the court, prove that he has\nmade at other times a statement inconsistent with his present testimony; but\nbefore such last mentioned proof can be given the circumstances of the supposed\nstatement, sufficient to designate the particular occasion, must be mentioned to\nthe witness, and he must be asked whether or not he has made such statement. In\nevery such case the court, if requested by either party, shall instruct the jury\nnot to consider the evidence of such inconsistent statements, except for the\npurpose of contradicting the witness.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 8-292; 1977, c. 617.","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}}