To expedite trial proceedings in civil cases, upon appropriate and timely motion by counsel, the court may permit the reading to the jury, or the introduction into evidence, of relevant portions of lengthy and complex documents without the necessity of having the jury read or receive the entire document. The court, in its discretion, may permit the entire document to be received by the jury, or may order the parties to edit from any such document admitted into evidence information that is irrelevant to the proceedings.
§ 8.01-417.1.Use of portions of documents in evidence (Subsection (b) of Supreme Court Rule 2:106 derived from this section).
Chapter 14. Evidence · Article 9. Miscellaneous Provisions · Last amended 1992 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceSection 8.01-417.1 lets a trial court, on timely motion, permit relevant portions of a lengthy or complex document to be read to the jury or admitted into evidence without requiring the jury to read or receive the entire document.
Full Text of § 8.01-417.1
Plain-English Summary
Trials involving contracts, business records, or other long documents can bog down if the jury has to wade through pages of material that have nothing to do with the disputed issues. This section gives the trial court a tool to keep things moving: on a timely motion from counsel, the court can let the parties introduce or read aloud only the relevant portions of a lengthy or complex document.
The decision stays within the court’s discretion in both directions. A judge can still choose to let the whole document go to the jury if that makes more sense, or can order the parties to edit out the irrelevant material themselves before it comes in. Either way, the point is to keep the jury focused on what matters to the case.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a party introduce only part of a long document at trial instead of the whole thing?
Yes, on appropriate and timely motion, the court may permit relevant portions of a lengthy and complex document to be read to the jury or introduced into evidence.
Does the jury still get to see the entire document if only part of it is read?
Not necessarily. The court may permit the entire document to be received, but it is not required to — it can limit the jury to the relevant portions instead.
Who decides which parts of the document are relevant enough to include?
The court, exercising its discretion, may order the parties to edit out information that is irrelevant to the proceedings.
What kind of documents does this section typically apply to?
Lengthy and complex documents where reading or receiving the whole thing would slow the trial down without helping the jury.
Does a party need to make a motion to use this procedure?
Yes. Section 8.01-417.1 conditions the procedure on an appropriate and timely motion by counsel.
Amendment History
1992, c. 720.
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
Also known as: virginia excerpting documents at trial rule8.01-417.1 explainedreading portions of a document to the jury virginialengthy complex document evidence virginia trialRule 2:106 Virginia derived statute