As used in sections 25-413 to 25-417, unless the context otherwise requires, state shall mean any foreign nation, and any state, district, commonwealth, territory or insular possession of the United States.
§ 25-413.State, defined.
Article 4: Venue · Last amended 1969 · Last verified July 22, 2026
In one sentenceSection 25-413 defines the word “state” for purposes of the Model Uniform Choice of Forum Act, sections 25-413 to 25-417, to mean any foreign nation as well as any state, district, commonwealth, territory, or insular possession of the United States.
Full Text of § 25-413
Source
Laws 1969, c. 179, § 1, p. 769.
Plain-English Summary
Sections 25-413 through 25-417 make up Nebraska’s Model Uniform Choice of Forum Act, a short set of statutes addressing what happens when parties agree in advance on where a dispute between them will be litigated. Before getting into how those forum-selection agreements work, section 25-413 defines a term the rest of the act relies on: “state.”
The definition is broader than the everyday meaning of the word. For purposes of these five sections, “state” means any foreign nation, and it also means any state, district, commonwealth, territory, or insular possession of the United States. That reach lets the act apply cleanly whether the competing forum named in a choice-of-forum agreement is another American jurisdiction, such as Iowa or the District of Columbia, or an entirely different country.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does “state” in this part of Chapter 25 mean only one of the fifty states?
No. Section 25-413 defines “state” broadly to include foreign nations as well as any state, district, commonwealth, territory, or insular possession of the United States.
Which sections does this definition apply to?
It applies to sections 25-413 through 25-417, the group of statutes making up the Model Uniform Choice of Forum Act.
Does the definition cover an agreement naming a foreign country as the chosen forum?
Yes. A foreign nation fits within the definition of “state” for purposes of these sections.
What about a U.S. territory or the District of Columbia?
Both fall within the definition, since it expressly includes any district, commonwealth, territory, or insular possession of the United States alongside the fifty states.
Why does the act need its own definition instead of relying on the ordinary meaning of “state”?
Choice-of-forum disputes can involve agreements pointing to another country or a U.S. territory, not just another state, so the act defines the term broadly enough to reach those situations too.
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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