Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Virginia

Re: What are the procedures for collection preceedings?

There is a whole body of law you'd have to know for me to tell you a straight answer to the question posed in your subject line, and it would take weeks. There are too many variables. If you live in Virginia, I strongly suggest you contact me directly.

That said, I can give you a couple of answers based on the facts you described: first, the statute of limitations on a bad check is four years; the statute of limitations is an affirmative defense, which means they can still sue you and get a judgment unless you affirmatively plead "s.o.l." in writing in response to the initial pleadings served upon you. Second, they can file suit at any time, with or without any prior notice to you (they do have to something calculated to get you notice of the filing itself, however). Finally, it makes an enormous difference whether the person who's trying to collect is the person entitled to cash the check or a collection agency; if the latter, there's a whole 'nother glob of rules they have to follow.