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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>54576</law_id><section_number>32.1-36.1</section_number><catch_line>Confidentiality of test for human immunodeficiency virus; civil penalty; individual action for damages or penalty</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>16.1-248.3</reference><reference>18.2-346.1</reference><reference>32.1-127.1:03</reference><reference>32.1-36</reference><reference>53.1-133.03</reference><reference>54.1-2403.01</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="32.1">Health</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="2">Disease Prevention and Control</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="1">Reporting of Diseases</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> The results of every test to determine infection with human immunodeficiency virus shall be confidential. Such information may be released only to <span class="dictionary">persons</span> or entities permitted or authorized to obtain protected health information under any applicable federal or state <span class="dictionary">law</span>. <a id="paragraph-200408" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-36.1/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> In any action brought under this section, if the <span class="dictionary">court</span> finds that a <span class="dictionary">person</span> has willfully or through gross <span class="dictionary">negligence</span> made an unauthorized disclosure in violation of this section, the <span class="dictionary">Attorney General</span>, any attorney for the Commonwealth, or any attorney for the county, city or town in which the violation occurred may recover for the Literary Fund, upon <span class="dictionary">petition</span> to the <span class="dictionary">court</span>, a civil <span class="dictionary">penalty</span> of not more than $5,000 per violation. <a id="paragraph-200409" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-36.1/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Any <span class="dictionary">person</span> who is the subject of an unauthorized disclosure pursuant to this section shall be entitled to initiate an action to recover actual <span class="dictionary">damages</span>, if any, or $100, whichever is greater. In addition, such <span class="dictionary">person</span> may also be awarded reasonable attorney&#x2019;s fees and <span class="dictionary">court</span> costs. <a id="paragraph-200410" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-36.1/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="D"><p><span class="prefix-number">D.</span> This section shall not be deemed to create any duty on the part of any <span class="dictionary">person</span> who receives such test results, where none exists otherwise, to release the results to a <span class="dictionary">person</span> listed herein as authorized to receive them. <a id="paragraph-200411" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/32.1-36.1/#D"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1989, c. 613; 1990, c. 777; 1993, cc. 97, 664; 2017, c. 178.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
