Article 11: Trial · Last amended 1987 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceThis section lays out how a summary jury trial differs from an ordinary jury trial — a six-person jury the judge selects, equal time for each side, summarized rather than live evidence exchanged in advance, pretrial objections, mandatory attendance by decision-makers, and a consensus or anonymous special verdict.
Full Text of § 25-1156
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Summary jury trials shall be conducted in the same manner as any other trial by jury under Chapter 25, article 11, with the following exceptions:
(1) A six-person jury shall be selected from persons whose names appear on the jury list and who qualify as jurors. Examination of the prospective jurors shall be conducted by the judge who shall select the jury subject to each party's right to challenge two jurors;
(2) Each party shall have an equal amount of time to present his or her case as shall be agreed upon by the parties and the judge;
(3) The judge need not preside during the presentation of the case but may give the jury written or oral instructions on the applicable law following the presentation;
(4) The parties shall not present evidence but may present representations or summaries of evidence which would be adduced and admissible at trial. At least ten days prior to trial the parties shall exchange the representations or summaries of evidence which will be presented to the jury. All objections to the evidence shall be made prior to the summary jury trial and shall not be allowed during the trial;
(5) The parties shall attend the summary jury trial. The president, chief executive officer, or any other representative with authority to enter into a binding agreement or make a binding settlement offer from each corporation or association which is a party shall attend; and
(6) The jury may return either a consensus verdict or a special verdict consisting of an anonymous statement of each juror's findings which includes (a) the parties' respective liability, (b) the value of damages, and (c) a general verdict.
Source
Laws 1987, LB 225, § 3.
Plain-English Summary
A summary jury trial follows the same general framework as any jury trial under this article, but § 25-1156 carves out several exceptions that make it faster and less formal. The jury itself is smaller — six people, selected from the regular jury list, with the judge conducting the examination of prospective jurors and choosing the panel, subject to each party’s right to challenge two jurors.
The presentation of the case also looks different. Each side gets an equal amount of time, agreed on by the parties and the judge, and the judge need not preside throughout the presentation but can give the jury written or oral instructions on the law afterward. Rather than live testimony, the parties present representations or summaries of the evidence that would be admissible at a full trial, and they have to exchange those summaries at least ten days before the summary jury trial. Any objections to that evidence get resolved before the trial starts — none are allowed once it is underway.
Attendance is mandatory for people with real settlement authority. The parties themselves have to attend, and for a corporation or association that is a party, the president, chief executive officer, or another representative authorized to bind the entity to a settlement has to be there. At the end, the jury can return either a consensus verdict, or a special verdict made up of each juror’s anonymous findings on liability, the value of damages, and a general verdict.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many jurors sit on a Nebraska summary jury trial?
Six, selected from the regular jury list, with the judge conducting jury examination and selecting the panel subject to each party’s right to challenge two jurors.
Do witnesses testify live at a summary jury trial?
No. The parties present representations or summaries of the evidence that would be admissible at trial, rather than live testimony.
When do the parties have to exchange their evidence summaries?
At least ten days before the summary jury trial.
Can a party object to the other side’s evidence during the summary jury trial itself?
No. All objections to the evidence must be made before the summary jury trial and are not allowed during it.
Do the actual parties have to show up in person?
Yes. The parties must attend, and if a party is a corporation or association, its president, chief executive officer, or another representative with authority to settle must attend as well.
What form of verdict does the jury return?
Either a consensus verdict or a special verdict consisting of each juror’s anonymous findings on the parties’ respective liability, the value of damages, and a general verdict.
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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