                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

GROUNDS OF ACTION FOR PRETRIAL LEVY OR SEIZURE OF ATTACHMENT (§ 8.01-534)

A. It shall be sufficient ground for an action for pretrial levy or seizure or
an attachment that the principal defendant or one of the principal defendants:

   1. Is a foreign corporation, or is not a resident of this Commonwealth, and
   has estate or has debts owing to such defendant within the county or city in
   which the attachment is, or that such defendant being a nonresident of this
   Commonwealth, is entitled to the benefit of any lien, legal or equitable, on
   property, real or personal, within the county or city in which the attachment
   is. The word &#8220;estate,&#8221; as herein used, includes all rights or
   interests of a pecuniary nature which can be protected, enforced, or proceeded
   against in courts of law or equity;

   2. Is removing or is about to remove himself out of this Commonwealth with
   intent to change his domicile;

   3. Intends to remove, or is removing, or has removed the specific property
   sued for, or his own estate, or the proceeds of the sale of his property, or a
   material part of such estate or proceeds, out of this Commonwealth so that
   there will probably not be therein effects of such debtor sufficient to
   satisfy the claim when judgment is obtained therefor should only the ordinary
   process of law be used to obtain the judgment;

   4. Is converting, is about to convert or has converted his property of
   whatever kind, or some part thereof, into money, securities or evidences of
   debt with intent to hinder, delay, or defraud his creditors;

   5. Has assigned or disposed of or is about to assign or dispose of his estate,
   or some part thereof, with intent to hinder, delay or defraud his creditors;

   6. Has absconded or is about to abscond or has concealed or is about to
   conceal himself or his property to the injury of his creditors, or is a
   fugitive from justice;

   7. Has conducted, financed, managed, supervised, directed, sold, or owned a
   gambling device that is located in an unregulated location pursuant to &#xA7;
   18.2-331.1;

   8. Has violated any provision of law related to charitable gaming pursuant to
   Article 1.1:1 (&#xA7; 18.2-340.15 et seq.) of Chapter 8 of Title 18.2.
   				The intent mentioned in subdivisions 4 and 5 may be stated either in the
   alternative or conjunctive.

B. It shall be sufficient ground for an action for pretrial levy or seizure or
an attachment if the specific personal property sought to be levied or seized:

   1. Will be sold, removed, secreted or otherwise disposed of by the defendant,
   in violation of an obligation to the plaintiff, so as not to be forthcoming to
   answer the final judgment of the court respecting the same; or

   2. Will be destroyed, or materially damaged or injured if permitted to remain
   in the possession of the principal defendant or one of the principal
   defendants or other person or persons claiming under them.

C. In an action for rent, it also shall be a sufficient ground if there is an
immediate danger that the property subject to the landlord&#8217;s lien for rent
will be destroyed or concealed.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 8-520; 1954, c. 333; 1977, c. 617; 1993, c. 841; 2022, c.
553.