In any action in which any defendant is the Commonwealth or one of its officers, employees, or agents, upon the grant of in forma pauperis status or receipt of the filing fee and costs, the court shall serve the Office of the Attorney General with a copy of the motion for judgment and all necessary supporting papers. The Office of the Attorney General shall have no fewer than thirty days from receipt in which to file responsive pleadings. The prisoner’s failure to state his claims in a written motion for judgment plainly stating facts sufficient to support his cause of action, accompanied by all necessary supporting documentation, may be grounds for dismissal of the action.

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Terms Used In Virginia Code 8.01-694

  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
  • In forma pauperis: In the manner of a pauper. Permission given to a person to sue without payment of court fees on claim of indigence or poverty.
  • Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
  • 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

2002, c. 871; 2009, c. 372.