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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>82274</law_id><section_number>8.01-223.1</section_number><catch_line>Use of constitutional rights</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="8.01">Civil Remedies and Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="3">Actions</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="21">Miscellaneous Provisions</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>In any <span class="dictionary">civil action</span>, the exercise by a <span class="dictionary">party</span> of any constitutional protection shall not be used against him, except that in any civil proceeding for spousal support, <span class="dictionary">custody</span>, or visitation under Title 16.1 or any <span class="dictionary">civil action</span> for divorce or separate maintenance under Title 20 filed on or after July 1, 2020, if a <span class="dictionary">party</span> or <span class="dictionary">witness</span> refuses to answer a question about conduct described in subdivision A (1) of &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Grounds for divorce from bond of matrimony; contents of decree" href="/20-91/">20-91</a> or in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Adultery defined; penalty" href="/18.2-365/">18.2-365</a> on the ground that the <span class="dictionary">testimony</span> might be self-incriminating, the trier of <span class="dictionary">fact</span> may draw an adverse inference from such refusal.</p></section></text><history>1985, c. 192; 2020, c. 1062.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
