A genuinely distinctive protection: obstruction tolling
Under Va. Code § 8.01-229.D, when a defendant takes steps to obstruct a plaintiff's ability to file suit, the time during which that obstruction is ongoing generally doesn't count against the statute of limitations. This is a genuinely distinct protection from an ordinary discovery rule — it targets the defendant's own conduct in delaying the claim, not simply when the plaintiff became aware of their injury.
Medical malpractice: extended, but with a real 10-year ceiling
Virginia's two-year general period can be extended in specific medical malpractice situations, but these extensions generally don't push the deadline beyond an absolute outer limit of 10 years from the date the cause of action accrues.
A genuinely important exception to that ceiling
Here's a notable detail. Even that 10-year outer limit has its own exception: the tolling provision that applies to a person under a legal disability — most commonly a minor — continues to apply even beyond the 10-year malpractice ceiling. In other words, the 10-year cap doesn't necessarily close the door on a malpractice claim involving a child.
A specific carve-out for asbestos-related death
When an asbestos-related injury or disease causes death, Virginia sets the lawsuit deadline at two years from the date of death — a specific statutory rule distinct from, though numerically similar to, the general wrongful death period.
The ordinary minor and disability tolling rule
Beyond these specific provisions, Virginia generally treats anyone under 18, along with people who are legally incapacitated, as under a legal disability for statute of limitations purposes — which generally pauses the ordinary clock until that disability ends.