Nebraska § 11-103 - Bonds; county, township, school district, precinct officers; form.

§ 11-103. Bonds; county, township, school district, precinct officers; form.

All official bonds of county, township, school district, and precinct officers must be in form joint and several, and made payable to the county in which the officer giving the same shall be elected or appointed, in such penalty and with such conditions as required by sections 11-101 to 11-122 or the law creating or regulating the duties of the office.

1. Form

2. Validity

3. Effect

1. Form

Elected county officials are required to give individual official bonds. Blanket bond is not sufficient. Foote v. County of Adams, 163 Neb. 406, 80 N.W.2d 179 (1956).

Term of office need not be set out in bond. Perkins County v. Miller, 55 Neb. 141, 75 N.W. 577 (1898).

Bond of deputy sheriff must run to county. Riggs v. Miller, 34 Neb. 666, 52 N.W. 567 (1892).

Failure to insert names of sureties in body of bond is immaterial. Stewart v. Carter, 4 Neb. 564 (1876).

2. Validity

Bond given by one entrusted with state or county funds is an official bond, and a provision therein which is in violation of statute and requires an official duty of the officer which is not required by law is against public policy and void. United States F. & G. Co. v. McLaughlin, 76 Neb. 307, 107 N.W. 577 (1906).

Joint bond is good as to sureties. Clark v. Douglas, 58 Neb. 571, 79 N.W. 158 (1899).

Official bond being in form joint, instead of joint and several, is not void. Perkins County v. Miller, 55 Neb. 141, 75 N.W. 577 (1898).

Until delivery of bond to proper officer and its approval, bond is not binding upon the obligors, and withdrawal of surety and erasure of name prior to delivery without knowledge or consent of others releases all. Hagler v. State, 31 Neb. 144, 47 N.W. 692 (1891).

A constable's bond, voluntarily given with a reasonable sum fixed as penalty therein, is binding on sureties. Noble v. Himeo, 12 Neb. 193, 10 N.W. 499 (1881); Williams v. Golden, 10 Neb. 432, 6 N.W. 766 (1880).

Bond running to "the people of the State of Nebraska", instead of to Dodge County was merely irregular, which could not be taken advantage of by officer or his surety in action on bond. Kopplekom v. Huffman, 12 Neb. 95, 10 N.W. 577 (1881).

Official bond of sheriff is not void because given to state instead of proper county as obligee. Huffman v. Koppelkom, 8 Neb. 344, 1 N.W. 243 (1879).

3. Effect

While all official bonds of county officers must be payable to county, one who performs duties of deputy county officer, holding himself out as such, is officer de facto and liable to prosecution, notwithstanding failure to take oath or give bond. Baker v. State, 112 Neb. 654, 200 N.W. 876 (1924).

Sureties on official bond are not liable for acts which are not required by law to be performed by officers. Ottenstein v. Alpaugh, 9 Neb. 237, 2 N.W. 219 (1879).