§ 8.01-216.14.Civil investigative demands; documentary material.
Chapter 3. Actions · Article 19.1. Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act · Last amended 2002 · Last verified July 16, 2026
Full Text of § 8.01-216.14
Plain-English Summary
Section 8.01-216.14 sets the procedure for producing documents once a civil investigative demand has been served. Production must be accompanied by a sworn certificate, in the form the demand specifies, signed by the recipient personally if the recipient is a natural person, or, for any other kind of person, by someone who knows the relevant facts and is authorized to act on that person’s behalf. The certificate must state that all of the material the demand requires, and that is within the recipient’s possession, custody, or control, has been produced and made available to the investigator named in the demand.
The recipient must make the material available for inspection and copying at the recipient’s principal place of business, or at another location the investigator and the recipient later agree on, or wherever the court directs. The material must be available by the return date the demand specifies, or a later date the investigator prescribes in writing. By written agreement between the recipient and the investigator, the recipient may substitute copies for the originals of some or all of the material.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does someone certify compliance with a document demand?
With a sworn certificate, in the form the demand specifies, signed by the recipient if a natural person, or by a knowledgeable authorized representative if the recipient is an entity, stating that all of the required material has been produced.
Where must documents be made available for inspection under a civil investigative demand?
At the recipient’s principal place of business, unless the recipient and the investigator agree on another location, or the court directs otherwise.
Can copies be submitted instead of original documents?
Yes, if the recipient and the investigator agree to it in writing.
What if more time is needed than the demand’s return date allows?
The investigator can prescribe a later date in writing for the material to be made available.
Who signs the sworn certificate when the recipient is a business rather than an individual?
A person who has knowledge of the facts and circumstances relating to the production and is authorized to act on the business’s behalf.
Amendment History
2002, c. 842.