If the action be against several defendants, and it appear on the trial that any of them occupy distinct parcels in severalty or jointly, and that other defendants possess other parcels in severalty or jointly, the plaintiff may recover several judgments against them, for the parcels so held by one or more of the defendants, separately from others.
§ 8.01-143.When there may be several judgments against defendants.
Chapter 3. Actions · Article 14. Ejectment · Last amended 1977 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceSection 8.01-143 lets a plaintiff recover several separate judgments when the evidence shows different defendants occupy distinct parcels — severally or jointly — allowing recovery against each for the specific parcel that defendant holds.
Full Text of § 8.01-143
Plain-English Summary
Section 8.01-143 handles the situation where an ejectment action names multiple defendants who do not all possess the property the same way. If trial reveals that some defendants occupy distinct parcels separately or as a smaller group, while other defendants hold different parcels, the case does not have to resolve into one uniform judgment.
Instead, the plaintiff may recover several judgments, each covering the specific parcel or parcels held by one or more of the defendants, separate from the judgments covering the parcels other defendants hold. This lets the outcome track the actual, divided pattern of possession revealed at trial rather than forcing a single verdict that ignores those distinctions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a plaintiff get separate judgments against different defendants in one ejectment case?
Yes. Section 8.01-143 allows several judgments when trial shows that different defendants occupy distinct parcels, in severalty or jointly, letting the plaintiff recover separately for the parcels each holds.
How does this differ from the rule when defendants share joint possession?
Section 8.01-142 covers defendants who jointly possess the same premises, producing one verdict against all of them. Section 8.01-143 covers the opposite scenario — defendants who hold separate, distinct parcels — and allows the judgments to be divided accordingly.
What does “occupy distinct parcels in severalty or jointly” mean?
It means the trial evidence shows the property is not held as one undivided unit by all defendants together, but is instead divided among defendants who each hold their own parcel, whether individually or with a subset of co-defendants.
Does the plaintiff have to choose between suing everyone together or getting separate judgments?
No. The plaintiff may recover several judgments within a single action once the trial evidence establishes that different defendants hold different parcels.
Why does the statute allow the judgment to be split this way?
Because forcing one uniform judgment when defendants hold separate, distinct parcels would not accurately reflect who possesses what, and could complicate enforcement of the judgment against each defendant’s specific holding.
Amendment History
Code 1950, § 8-813; 1977, c. 617.
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Code of Virginia, published by the
Code of Virginia, Virginia Division of Legislative Automated Systems. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
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