Objections to personal jurisdiction or defective process; what constitutes waiver
Va. Code Ann. § 8.01-277.1
in effectA. Except as provided in § 8.01-277 , a person waives any objection to personal jurisdiction or defective process if he engages in conduct related to adjudicating the merits of the case, including, but not limited to:
1. Filing a demurrer, plea in bar, answer, counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party claim;
2. Conducting discovery, except as provided in subsection B;
3. Seeking a ruling on the merits of the case; or
4. Actively participating in proceedings related to determining the merits of the case.
B. A person does not waive any objection to personal jurisdiction or defective process if he engages in conduct unrelated to adjudicating the merits of the case, including, but not limited to:
1. Requesting or agreeing to an extension of time;
2. Agreeing to a scheduling order;
3. Conducting discovery authorized by the court related to adjudicating the objection;
4. Observing or attending proceedings in the case;
5. Filing a motion to transfer venue pursuant to § 8.01-264 when such motion is filed contemporaneously with the objection; or
6. Removing the case to federal court.
2011, c. 710 .
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/8.01-277.1/Fetched: 10/17/2026
