Virginia Code 52-49: Receipt of information; immunity from liability
A. No cause of action for defamation, invasion of privacy, or negligence shall arise against any person for reason of that person’s furnishing of information concerning any suspected, anticipated, or completed criminal violation when the information is provided to or received from the Department or any federal or state governmental entity established for the purposes of detecting and preventing acts of terrorism.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 52-49
- Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Person: includes any individual, corporation, partnership, association, cooperative, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, government, political subdivision, or any other legal or commercial entity and any successor, representative, agent, agency, or instrumentality thereof. See Virginia Code 1-230
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
B. No person shall be subject to such cause of action for cooperating with, or furnishing evidence or information regarding any suspected criminal violation to, the Department.
C. This section shall not provide immunity for those disclosing or furnishing false information with malice or willful intent to injure any person.
D. This section does not abrogate or modify in any way common law or statutory privilege or immunity heretofore enjoyed by any person or entity.
2008, c. 792.