§ 25-21,217.Judgment against state agency; liability of state.

Section 25-21,217 backstops the bond exemption in section 25-21,216. Because the state, its officers, boards, commissions, department heads, agents, and employees do not have to post a bond for costs or damages when sued in an official capacity, an unpaid judgment could otherwise leave the winning party without a way to collect. This section closes that gap: if a judgment for costs or damages is rendered against one of those covered litigants, and the litigant fails, refuses, or neglects to pay it within three months after the date of entry, the State of Nebraska becomes liable for payment of the judgment.

The three-month window gives the covered officer, board, or department a chance to satisfy the judgment on its own before the state’s liability attaches. Once that window passes without payment, the obligation shifts to the state itself, so the party who won the judgment is not left holding an uncollectible award just because the underlying litigant went without a bond.