In any civil action instituted by the state, except in actions for the collection of revenue, for school or other trust funds, or against defaulting officers and their sureties or insurance providers as specified in section 11-201, the defendant may, as matter of defense, plead any setoff, counterclaim, or cross-demand that he or she may have arising to him or her in his or her own right, and upon which an action could be maintained by him or her against the state.
Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 25-21,207