Virginia Law

Article 4. Trying Title to Property Levied on under Distress or Execution.

When an execution on a judgment of a general district court, or a warrant of distress, is levied on property, or when a lien is acquired on money or other personal estate by virtue of § 8.01-501 and some person other than the party against whom the process issued claims such property, money or other personal estate, or some part thereof, either the claimant, the officer having such process, or the party who had the same issued may apply to the general district court of the county or city wherein the property, money or other personal estate may be to try the claim of the party so claiming the same or some part thereof, provided that the property, money or other personal estate does not exceed the maximum jurisdictional limit of the court as provided in § 16.1-77 (1).

1956, c. 555; 1978, c. 42; 1986, c. 27.

If the party making such application shall make and file an affidavit that to the best of his belief such property, money or other personal estate so claimed by such third party is not of greater value than the maximum jurisdictional limits of the court as provided by § 16.1-77 (1), the judge or clerk of the court shall issue a summons directed to the sheriff of his county or city, as the case may be, requiring him to summon both the creditor and the debtor to appear and show cause why such property, money or other personal estate, or any part thereof, should not be discharged from levy or lien of such execution or distress warrant. A copy of such summons shall be served upon the claimant of the property, money or other personal estate, unless the summons is sued out at his instance. The summons shall be made returnable not less than five days after date of its issuance, and if an earlier day shall have been fixed for the sale of the property, or for the return of any process subjecting such money or other personal estate to a final disposition, the judge shall make and endorse on the summons an order requiring the postponement of the sale, or the hearing to be had on such process, until after the return day of the summons.

1956, c. 555; 1978, c. 42; 1983, c. 616.

After hearing the parties or such of them as may attend after being summoned, and such witnesses as may be introduced by either party, the judge shall order the officer, or the possessor of any money or other personal estate, to deliver the same to the claimant, if he be of opinion that the same belongs to the claimant; but if he be of opinion that the property, money or other personal estate, or any part thereof, belongs to the person against whom the execution or warrant of distress issued, he shall order the officer who levied on the same to sell the property so liable, to satisfy the execution or warrant of distress; or when there is money or other personal estate in the possession of a bailee or garnishee, he shall order the bailee or garnishee, as the case may be, to make delivery to the execution creditor of all such money or other personal estate so found to belong to the execution debtor, or so much thereof as may be necessary to satisfy the execution; and he may give such judgment respecting the property, the expense of keeping it, any injury done by it, and for the costs, as may be just and equitable among the parties.

1956, c. 555.

If the property or money claimed in any such proceeding is more than $50 in value, an appeal of right may be had to the judgment or order of the court as provided in § 16.1-106.

1956, c. 555; 1978, c. 42; 1986, c. 25; 1998, cc. 482, 495; 2002, c. 645; 2007, c. 869.