                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

COURT MAY MAKE ORDERS PENDING SUIT FOR DIVORCE, CUSTODY OR VISITATION, ETC (§
20-103)

A. In suits for divorce, annulment and separate maintenance, and in proceedings
arising under subdivision A 3 or subsection L of &#xA7; 16.1-241, the court
having jurisdiction of the matter may, at any time pending a suit pursuant to
this chapter, in the discretion of such court, make any order that may be proper
(i) to compel a spouse to pay any sums necessary for the maintenance and support
of the petitioning spouse, including (a) an order that the other spouse provide
health care coverage for the petitioning spouse, unless it is shown that such
coverage cannot be obtained, or (b) an order that a party pay secured or
unsecured debts incurred jointly or by either party, (ii) to enable such spouse
to carry on the suit, (iii) to prevent either spouse from imposing any restraint
on the personal liberty of the other spouse, (iv) to provide for the custody and
maintenance of the minor children of the parties, including an order that either
party or both parties provide health care coverage or cash medical support, or
both, for the children, (v) to provide support, calculated in accordance with
&#xA7; 20-108.2, for any child of the parties to whom a duty of support is owed
and to pay or continue to pay support for any child over the age of 18 who meets
the requirements set forth in subsection C of &#xA7; 20-124.2, (vi) for the
exclusive use and possession of the family residence during the pendency of the
suit, (vii) to preserve the estate of either spouse, so that it be forthcoming
to meet any decree which may be made in the suit, (viii) to compel either spouse
to give security to abide such decree, or (ix)(a) to compel a party to maintain
any existing policy owned by that party insuring the life of either party or to
require a party to name as a beneficiary of the policy the other party or an
appropriate person for the exclusive use and benefit of the minor children of
the parties and (b) to allocate the premium cost of such life insurance between
the parties, provided that all premiums are billed to the policyholder. Nothing
in clause (ix) shall be construed to create an independent cause of action on
the part of any beneficiary against the insurer or to require an insurer to
provide information relating to such policy to any person other than the
policyholder without the written consent of the policyholder. The parties to any
petition where a child whose custody, visitation, or support is contested shall
show proof that they have attended within the 12 months prior to their court
appearance or that they shall attend within 45 days thereafter an educational
seminar or other like program conducted by a qualified person or organization
approved by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of
Virginia, except that the court may require the parties to attend such seminar
or program in uncontested cases only if the court finds good cause. The seminar
or other program shall be a minimum of four hours in length and shall address
the effects of separation or divorce on children, parenting responsibilities,
options for conflict resolution and financial responsibilities. Once a party has
completed one educational seminar or other like program, the required completion
of additional programs shall be at the court&#8217;s discretion. Parties under
this section shall include natural or adoptive parents of the child, or any
person with a legitimate interest as defined in &#xA7; 20-124.1. The fee charged
a party for participation in such program shall be based on the party&#8217;s
ability to pay; however, no fee in excess of $50 may be charged. Whenever
possible, before participating in mediation or alternative dispute resolution to
address custody, visitation or support, each party shall have attended the
educational seminar or other like program. The court may grant an exemption from
attendance of such program for good cause shown or if there is no program
reasonably available. Other than statements or admissions by a party admitting
criminal activity or child abuse, no statement or admission by a party in such
seminar or program shall be admissible into evidence in any subsequent
proceeding.

A1. Any award or order made by the court pursuant to subsection A shall be paid
from the post-separation income of the obligor unless the court, for good cause
shown, orders otherwise. Upon the request of either party, the court may
identify and state in such order or award the specific source from which the
financial obligation imposed is to be paid.

A2. In any case in which the jurisdiction of the juvenile and domestic relations
district court has been divested pursuant to &#xA7; 16.1-244 and no final
support order has been entered, any award for child support or spousal support
in the circuit court pursuant to subsection A shall be retroactive to the date
on which the proceeding was commenced by the filing of the action in the
juvenile and domestic relations district court, provided that the petitioner
exercised due diligence in the service of the respondent.

B. In addition to the terms provided in subsection A, upon a showing by a party
of reasonable apprehension of physical harm to that party by such party&#8217;s
family or household member as that term is defined in &#xA7; 16.1-228, and
consistent with rules of the Supreme Court of Virginia, the court may enter an
order excluding that party&#8217;s family or household member from the jointly
owned or jointly rented family dwelling. In any case where an order is entered
under this paragraph, pursuant to an ex parte hearing, the order shall not
exclude a family or household member from the family dwelling for a period in
excess of 15 days from the date the order is served, in person, upon the person
so excluded. The order may provide for an extension of time beyond the 15 days,
to become effective automatically. The person served may at any time file a
written motion in the clerk&#8217;s office requesting a hearing to dissolve or
modify the order. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the
court from extending an order entered under this subsection for such longer
period of time as is deemed appropriate, after a hearing on notice to the
parties. If the party subject to the order fails to appear at this hearing, the
court may extend the order for a period not to exceed six months.

C. In cases other than those for divorce in which a custody or visitation
arrangement for a minor child is sought, the court may enter an order providing
for custody, visitation or maintenance pending the suit as provided in
subsection A. The order shall be directed to either parent or any person with a
legitimate interest who is a party to the suit.

D. Orders entered pursuant to this section which provide for custody or
visitation arrangements pending the suit shall be made in accordance with the
standards set out in Chapter 6.1 (&#xA7; 20-124.1 et seq.). Orders entered
pursuant to subsection B shall be certified by the clerk and forwarded as soon
as possible to the local police department or sheriff&#8217;s office which
shall, on the date of receipt, enter the name of the person subject to the order
and other appropriate information required by the Department of State Police
into the Virginia crime information network system established and maintained by
the Department of State Police pursuant to Chapter 2 (&#xA7; 52-12 et seq.) of
Title 52. If the order is later dissolved or modified, a copy of the dissolution
or modification shall also be certified, forwarded and entered in the system as
described above.

E. There shall be a presumption in any judicial proceeding for pendente lite
spousal support and maintenance under this section that the amount of the award
that would result from the application of the formula set forth in this section
is the correct amount of spousal support to be awarded. The court may deviate
from the presumptive amount as provided in subsection H.

F. If the court is determining both an award of pendente lite spousal support
and maintenance and an award of child support, the court shall first make a
determination of the amount of the award of pendente lite spousal support, if
any, owed by one party to the other under this section.

G. If the parties have minor children in common, the presumptive amount of an
award of pendente lite spousal support and maintenance shall be the difference
between 26 percent of the payor spouse&#8217;s monthly gross income and 58
percent of the payee spouse&#8217;s monthly gross income. If the parties have no
minor children in common, the presumptive amount of the award shall be the
difference between 27 percent of the payor spouse&#8217;s monthly gross income
and 50 percent of the payee spouse&#8217;s monthly gross income. For the
purposes of this section, monthly gross income shall have the same meaning as it
does in section &#xA7; 20-108.2.

H. The court may deviate from the presumptive amount for good cause shown,
including any relevant evidence relating to the parties&#8217; current financial
circumstances or the impact of any tax exemption and any credits resulting from
such exemptions that indicates the presumptive amount is inappropriate.

I. The presumptive formula set forth in this section shall only apply to cases
where the parties&#8217; combined monthly gross income does not exceed $10,000.

J. An order entered pursuant to this section shall have no presumptive effect
and shall not be determinative when adjudicating the underlying cause.

HISTORY: Code 1919, § 5107; 1975, c. 644; 1982, c. 306; 1983, c. 253; 1989, c.
740; 1991, c. 60; 1994, cc. 518, 769; 1995, c. 674; 1996, cc. 767, 866, 879,
884; 1997, c. 605; 1998, c. 616; 2000, c. 586; 2003, cc. 31, 45; 2004, c. 732;
2007, c. 205; 2009, c. 713; 2011, c. 687; 2014, c. 55; 2015, cc. 653, 654; 2016,
c. 352; 2020, c. 651; 2022, c. 527; 2023, c. 17.