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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>61985</law_id><section_number>8.01-375</section_number><catch_line>Exclusion of witnesses in civil cases (Subsection (a) of Supreme Court Rule 2:615 derived in part from this section and subsection (b) of Supreme Court Rule 2:615 derived from this section)</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="13">Certain Incidents of Trial</unit></structure><text>
						<section><p>The <span class="dictionary">court</span> trying any civil case may upon its own <span class="dictionary">motion</span>, and shall upon the <span class="dictionary">motion</span> of any <span class="dictionary">party</span>, require the exclusion of every witness. However, the following shall be exempt from the rule of this section as a matter of right: (i) each named <span class="dictionary">party</span> who is an individual; (ii) one officer or agent of each <span class="dictionary">party</span> that is a public or private corporation, partnership, association, governmental agency, or other entity; (iii) an attorney alleged in a <span class="dictionary">habeas corpus</span> proceeding to have acted ineffectively; and (iv) in an <span class="dictionary">unlawful detainer action</span> filed in general district <span class="dictionary">court</span>, a managing agent as defined in &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Definitions" href="/55.1-1200/">55.1-1200</a>.
		Where expert witnesses are to testify in the case, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may, at the request of all parties, allow one <span class="dictionary">expert witness</span> for each <span class="dictionary">party</span> to remain in the courtroom; however, in cases pertaining to the distribution of marital property pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Court may decree as to property and debts of the parties" href="/20-107.3/">20-107.3</a> or the determination of child or spousal support pursuant to &#xA7;&#xA0;<a class="law" title="Determination of child or spousal support" href="/20-108.1/">20-108.1</a>, the <span class="dictionary">court</span> may, upon <span class="dictionary">motion</span> of any <span class="dictionary">party</span>, allow one <span class="dictionary">expert witness</span> for each <span class="dictionary">party</span> to remain in the courtroom throughout the <span class="dictionary">hearing</span>.</p></section></text><history>Code 1950, &#xA7; 8-211.1; 1966, c. 268; 1975, c. 652; 1977, c. 617; 1986, c. 36; 1987, c. 70; 2001, c. 348; 2006, c. 757; 2016, c. 281; 2023, c. 615.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
