(a) Related Portions of a Writing in Civil and Criminal Cases. When part of a writing or recorded statement is introduced by a party, upon motion by another party the court may require the offering party to introduce any other part of the writing or recorded statement which ought in fairness to be considered contemporaneously with it, unless such additional portions are inadmissible under the Rules of Evidence.
Rule 2:106.REMAINDER OF A WRITING OR RECORDED STATEMENT (Rule 2:106(b) derived from Code § 8.01-417.1)
Part Two: Virginia Rules of Evidence · Last amended 2012 · Last verified July 16, 2026
In one sentenceRule 2:106 lets a party demand that the rest of a writing or recorded statement come in alongside a portion another party introduced, when fairness calls for reading them together, and separately lets civil courts allow relevant excerpts of lengthy documents instead of the whole document at trial.
Full Text of Rule 2:106
(b) Lengthy Documents in Civil cases. To expedite trials in civil cases, upon timely motion, 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 hear 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.
Plain-English Summary
Rule 2:106 is the completeness rule. When one party introduces part of a writing or a recorded statement, subdivision (a) lets another party move to require the rest — or another part — of that same document or recording to come in too, if fairness calls for considering it alongside the part already in evidence. The point is to keep a party from creating a misleading impression by pulling an excerpt out of context; the remainder comes in unless the Rules of Evidence would independently keep it out.
Subdivision (b) addresses a different problem: documents that are long and complex enough that reading the entire thing to a jury would waste time without adding value. In civil cases, on timely motion, the court can let a party read or introduce only the relevant portions of such a document, sparing the jury from sitting through the whole thing. The court keeps discretion here — it can still require the entire document to go before the jury, or order the parties to edit out portions that are irrelevant to the case before the jury sees or hears any of it.
Frequently Asked Questions
If the other side introduces part of a document, can I make them introduce the rest?
Yes, under Rule 2:106(a), if the remaining portion ought in fairness to be considered alongside the part already introduced, and it is not otherwise inadmissible under the Rules of Evidence. You have to move for it — the court does not add the remainder automatically.
Does the completeness rule in subdivision (a) apply to criminal cases too?
Yes. Rule 2:106(a) applies in both civil and criminal cases. Subdivision (b), covering lengthy documents, applies only in civil cases.
Can a court let the jury see only part of a long document at trial?
In a civil case, yes. Rule 2:106(b) lets the court, on timely motion, permit the reading or introduction of relevant portions of a lengthy and complex document without requiring the jury to hear or receive the entire thing.
Does the court have to limit the jury to excerpts if a party asks?
No. Even on a timely motion under subdivision (b), the court retains discretion to let the entire document go before the jury, or to order the parties to edit out irrelevant information rather than presenting only excerpts.
What is the purpose of the completeness rule?
To keep an excerpt from misleading the fact-finder by omitting context. Rule 2:106(a) lets an opposing party ensure that related portions of the same writing or recording are considered together, so the jury sees the full picture rather than a fragment chosen by one side.
Amendment History
Adopted and promulgated by Order dated June 1, 2012; effective July 1, 2012.
Source & verification. Rule text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Rules of Supreme Court of Virginia, published by the
Supreme Court of Virginia. Last verified July 16, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: rule of completeness virginia evidenceintroducing remainder of a document virginialengthy document trial virginia civil caseexcerpting documents at trial virginia