§ 858 Reference.

Here's a plain English summary of this rule.

A judge has the option to bring in a referee to help with a case. The judge can either let both sides agree on who this referee will be, or the judge can pick someone directly. This decision is completely up to the judge, meaning the judge doesn't have to do this in every case.

The referee's job is to look at the evidence presented and report back on what the facts show. This can help the judge by having someone else review the details and provide a summary, especially in cases that involve a lot of evidence or complicated facts.

In short, this rule gives judges a tool to get extra help sorting through evidence when they think it's needed, but it's not something that happens automatically in every lawsuit.