Virginia Code 15.2-1520: Employment of counsel to defend localities and political subdivisions, governing bodies, officers or employees in certain proceedings; costs and expenses of such proceedings.
Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, general or special, a locality, or political subdivision of such locality may employ the county, city or town attorney, or the attorney for the Commonwealth, if there be no county, city or town attorney, or other counsel approved by the governing body to defend it, or any member thereof, or any officer of the locality, or political subdivision or employee thereof, or any trustee or member of any board or commission appointed by the governing body in any legal proceeding to which the governing body, or any member thereof, or any of the foregoing named persons may be a defendant, when such proceeding is instituted against it, or them by virtue of any actions in furtherance of their duties in serving the locality or political subdivision as its governing body or as members thereof or the duties or service of any officer or employee of the locality or political subdivision or any trustee or any member of any board or commission appointed by the governing body.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 15.2-1520
- City: means an independent incorporated community which became a city as provided by law before noon on July 1, 1971, or which has within defined boundaries a population of 5,000 or more and which has become a city as provided by law. See Virginia Code 1-208
- County: means any existing county or such unit hereafter created. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Governing body: means the board of supervisors of a county, council of a city, or council of a town, as the context may require. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
- Locality: means a county, city, or town as the context may require. See Virginia Code 1-221
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
- Town: means any existing town or an incorporated community within one or more counties which became a town before noon, July one, nineteen hundred seventy-one, as provided by law or which has within defined boundaries a population of 1,000 or more and which has become a town as provided by law. See Virginia Code 15.2-102
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
All costs and expenses of such proceedings so defended shall be charged against the treasury of the locality, or political subdivision and shall be paid out of funds provided therefor by the governing body thereof. Further, in the event any settlement is agreed upon or judgment is rendered against any of the foregoing persons or governing body, the governing body may, in its discretion, pay such settlement or judgment from public funds or other funds or in connection with all of the foregoing may expend public or other funds for insurance or to establish and maintain a self-insurance program to cover such risks or liability.
1968, c. 23, § 15.1-19.2; 1976, c. 544; 1977, c. 47; 1978, c. 442; 1997, c. 587.