This bill amends section 27-804 of the Reissue Revised Statutes of Nebraska, which pertains to the rules of evidence regarding hearsay and the unavailability of witnesses. The key change introduced by the bill is the addition of a new exception to the hearsay rule, allowing for the admission of statements made by a declarant who is unavailable as a witness if the party against whom the statement is offered wrongfully caused or acquiesced in the declarant's unavailability. This aims to prevent parties from benefiting from their own wrongdoing in legal proceedings.

Additionally, the bill makes several grammatical updates to the language of the statute, changing pronouns from "his" to "the declarant's" for clarity and consistency. The bill also repeals the original section 27-804, effectively replacing it with the newly amended version. Overall, the bill seeks to harmonize the provisions of the Nebraska Evidence Rules while enhancing the integrity of the judicial process by addressing issues related to witness availability and hearsay.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 27-804