Becher v. Becher (Nebraska 2018)

Chapter 25 of the Nebraska statutes allows for the appointment of a general referee to hear court proceedings, which could include a divorce. The child support statutes also provide for the appointment of a referee for specific child support proceedings, including establishment of an order.  The deference the district court judge gives to the findings and conclusions in a referee’s report depends on the matter and under which statute it falls. In this case, the Nebraska Supreme Court made it clear that in a divorce decree, the district court does not have to defer to the a referee’s report regarding child support issues. For the other divorce issues, the district court can set aside findings that are against the weight of the evidence but does not have to defer to any legal conclusions or recommendations.