SEARCH SITE

VIRGINIA LAW PORTAL

SEARCHABLE DATABASES

ACROSS SESSIONS

Developed and maintained by the Division of Legislative Automated Systems.

2016 SESSION

  • | print version

HB 789 Exhumations; clerk of circuit court to send notice to next of kin, exception.

Introduced by: Les R. Adams | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS PASSED: (all summaries)

Exhumations; notice to next of kin. Establishes procedures for notification of the next of kin of a dead person upon receipt by the circuit court of a report regarding an investigation that requires an exhumation or filing of a petition for exhumation. The bill provides that in cases in which the exhumation is requested as part of an investigation by the Chief Medical Examiner or other medical examiner, upon request of the attorney for the Commonwealth and a finding that good cause exists, a judge may order for a period not to exceed 90 days that notification of the next of kin of the dead person be withheld, the report and order for exhumation be sealed, and any parties involved in the investigation or exhumation not disclose to the next of kin of the dead person or to any other person that the court may deem appropriate that the investigation or exhumation has occurred. Such order may be extended for additional periods of up to 90 days upon petition of the attorney for the Commonwealth and a finding that good cause for such extension exists.


FULL TEXT

AMENDMENTS

HISTORY