Nebraska District Court Judge Nathan B. Cox of Papillion, Nebraska, was invited to sit with the Nebraska Supreme Court on February 2, 2023.

Cox heard arguments in the case of S-22-0248 Sieg H. Brauer, d/b/a Brauer Law Office v. Kent Hartmann, Hartmann Hay Co., LLC, and Kirk Hartmann.  Kent Hartmann, Kirk Hartmann, and/or Hartmann Hay Co., LLC entered into a contingency fee agreement with Brauer Law Office.  After the case settled with no funds being exchanged between the parties, Brauer sued for monetary damages under the contract.  After the county court determined that Brauer Law Office was not entitled to recover under the contingency fee agreement, on further appeal, the district court affirmed the decision of the county court.  On its own motion, the Supreme Court ordered this case to be transferred from the docket of the Court of Appeals to its docket.

Cox sat in place of Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman, who was recused from this case. The Court session was held in the Supreme Court Courtroom of the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln.

Seven justices make up the Nebraska Supreme Court: Chief Justice Mike Heavican and six associate justices. On occasion, a justice must recuse him or herself from a case, and a judge from a district court or the Court of Appeals is asked to sit with the Supreme Court.  

The February 2, 2023, oral arguments can be viewed on the Court’s archive.

Reporters:

• Judicial Profile for Judge Nathan B. Cox
• Background on the Supreme Court
• Justices of the Nebraska Supreme Court

Screenshot from argument session on Nebraska Public Media:

(L to R) Justice Jonathan Papik, Justice Stephanie Stacy, Judge Nathan Cox, Chief Justice Mike Heavican, Justice William Cassel, Justice Jeff Funke, and Justice John Freudenberg. Recording Court arguments is Allyson Stewart.