{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-json\/8.01-48.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-text\/8.01-48.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-xml\/8.01-48.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2025\/code-html\/8.01-48.html"}],"law_id":83313,"edition_id":1,"section_id":83313,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-48","catch_line":"Mitigation in actions against newspapers, etc","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 8-632; 1954, c. 333; 1977, c. 617.","full_text":"In any civil action against the publisher, owner, editor, reporter or employee of any newspaper, magazine or periodical under \u00a7 8.01-45, or for libel or defamation, because of any article, statement or other matter contained in any such newspaper, magazine or periodical, the defendant, whether punitive damages be sought or not, may introduce in evidence in mitigation of general and punitive damages, or either, but not of actual pecuniary damages, all the circumstances of the publication, including the source of the information, its character as affording reasonable ground of reliance, any prior publication elsewhere of similar purport, the lack of negligence or malice on the part of the defendant, the good faith of the defendant in such publication, or that apology or retraction, if any, was made with reasonable promptness and fairness; provided that the defendant may introduce in evidence only such circumstances and to the extent set forth in his or its grounds of defense.","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":298501,"text":"In any civil action against the publisher, owner, editor, reporter or employee of any newspaper, magazine or periodical under \u00a7 8.01-45, or for libel or defamation, because of any article, statement or other matter contained in any such newspaper, magazine or periodical, the defendant, whether punitive damages be sought or not, may introduce in evidence in mitigation of general and punitive damages, or either, but not of actual pecuniary damages, all the circumstances of the publication, including the source of the information, its character as affording reasonable ground of reliance, any prior publication elsewhere of similar purport, the lack of negligence or malice on the part of the defendant, the good faith of the defendant in such publication, or that apology or retraction, if any, was made with reasonable promptness and fairness; provided that the defendant may introduce in evidence only such circumstances and to the extent set forth in his or its grounds of defense.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":15583,"edition_id":1,"name":"Defamation","identifier":"4","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":12886,"metadata":{},"date_created":"2026-06-26 03:56:32","date_modified":"2026-06-26 03:56:32","permalink":{"id":280825,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":15583,"identifier":"4","token":"8.01\/3\/4","url":"\/8.01\/3\/4\/","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":71678,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-45","catch_line":"Action for insulting words","url":"\/8.01-45\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-45","metadata":false},{"id":59452,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-46","catch_line":"Justification and mitigation of damages","url":"\/8.01-46\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-46","metadata":false},{"id":73041,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-46.1","catch_line":"Disclosure of employment-related information; presumptions; causes of action; definitions","url":"\/8.01-46.1\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-46.1","metadata":false},{"id":74317,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-46.2","catch_line":"Civil action for dissemination of intimate images to another; penalty","url":"\/8.01-46.2\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-46.2","metadata":false},{"id":65717,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-47","catch_line":"Immunity of persons investigating or reporting certain incidents at schools","url":"\/8.01-47\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-47","metadata":false},{"id":83313,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-48","catch_line":"Mitigation in actions against newspapers, etc","url":"\/8.01-48\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-48","metadata":false},{"id":85514,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-49","catch_line":"Defamatory statements in radio and television broadcasts","url":"\/8.01-49\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-49","metadata":false},{"id":71411,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-49.1","catch_line":"Liability for defamatory material on the Internet","url":"\/8.01-49.1\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-49.1","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":65717,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-47","catch_line":"Immunity of persons investigating or reporting certain incidents at schools","url":"\/8.01-47\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-47","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":85514,"structure_id":15583,"section_number":"8.01-49","catch_line":"Defamatory statements in radio and television broadcasts","url":"\/8.01-49\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-49","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/8.01-48\/","history_text":"

The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 times. 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. Those modifications are as follows: in 1954, chapter 333; in 1977, chapter 617.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":[{"id":71678,"section_number":"8.01-45","catch_line":"Action for insulting words","order_by":null,"url":"\/8.01-45\/"}],"permalink":{"id":280847,"object_type":"law","relational_id":83313,"identifier":"8.01-48","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-48","url":"\/8.01-48\/","edition_id":1,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/8.01-48\/","token":"8.01\/3\/4\/8.01-48","dublin_core":{"Title":"Mitigation in actions against newspapers, etc","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 8.01-48","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

In any civil action<\/span> against the publisher, owner, editor, reporter or employee of any newspaper, magazine or periodical under \u00a7 8.01-45<\/a>, or for libel or defamation, because of any article, statement or other matter contained in any such newspaper, magazine or periodical, the defendant<\/span>, whether punitive damages<\/span> be sought or not, may introduce in evidence<\/span> in mitigation of general and punitive damages<\/span>, or either, but not of actual pecuniary damages<\/span>, all the circumstances of the publication, including the source of the information, its character as affording reasonable ground of reliance, any prior publication elsewhere of similar purport, the lack of negligence<\/span> or malice<\/span> on the part of the defendant<\/span>, the good faith of the defendant<\/span> in such publication, or that apology or retraction, if any, was made with reasonable promptness and fairness; provided that the defendant<\/span> may introduce in evidence<\/span> only such circumstances and to the extent set forth in his or its grounds of defense.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":" CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nMITIGATION IN ACTIONS AGAINST NEWSPAPERS, ETC (\u00a7 8.01-48)\n\nIn any civil action against the publisher, owner, editor, reporter or employee\nof any newspaper, magazine or periodical under \u00a7 8.01-45, or for libel or\ndefamation, because of any article, statement or other matter contained in any\nsuch newspaper, magazine or periodical, the defendant, whether punitive damages\nbe sought or not, may introduce in evidence in mitigation of general and\npunitive damages, or either, but not of actual pecuniary damages, all the\ncircumstances of the publication, including the source of the information, its\ncharacter as affording reasonable ground of reliance, any prior publication\nelsewhere of similar purport, the lack of negligence or malice on the part of\nthe defendant, the good faith of the defendant in such publication, or that\napology or retraction, if any, was made with reasonable promptness and fairness;\nprovided that the defendant may introduce in evidence only such circumstances\nand to the extent set forth in his or its grounds of defense.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 8-632; 1954, c. 333; 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}}