In any civil action, the district court may grant a summary jury trial upon the written motion of all parties or their oral motion in court entered upon the record. The motion for summary jury trial may contain a stipulation of the parties concerning the use or effect of the summary jury verdict.
§ 25-1155.Motion; when granted; contents.
Article 11: Trial · Last amended 1987 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section lets a district court grant a summary jury trial on the written or in-court oral motion of all parties, and allows that motion to include a stipulation on how the parties will use or treat the resulting verdict.
Full Text of § 25-1155
Source
Laws 1987, LB 225, § 2.
Plain-English Summary
Getting a summary jury trial started requires everyone in the case to agree to try it. Section 25-1155 gives the district court authority to grant a summary jury trial only on the motion of all parties — either a written motion or an oral motion made in court and entered on the record. A single party cannot force the procedure on an unwilling opponent.
The section also lets the parties shape what the exercise means once it happens. The motion for a summary jury trial may contain a stipulation addressing the use or effect of the summary jury verdict — for example, agreeing in advance on what weight, if any, the verdict will carry in settlement talks. That flexibility lets the parties tailor the tool to their case rather than accepting a one-size-fits-all effect for the verdict.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can one party request a summary jury trial without the other side agreeing?
No. Section 25-1155 requires the motion for a summary jury trial to come from all parties, whether in writing or made orally in court and entered on the record.
Does the motion have to be in writing?
It can be either a written motion or an oral motion made in court and entered upon the record.
Can the parties agree on how the verdict will be used before the summary jury trial happens?
Yes. The motion may include a stipulation concerning the use or effect of the summary jury verdict.
Who decides whether to grant the motion once all parties agree?
The district court grants the summary jury trial; the statute gives the court that authority once all parties join in the motion.
What happens after the court grants the motion?
Section 25-1156 governs how the summary jury trial itself is conducted once granted.
Source & verification. Section text and the amendment-history citation are
reproduced verbatim from the Nebraska Legislature, Revisor of Statutes, enacted by the
Nebraska Legislature. Last verified July 22, 2026. ·
Official source
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