Case Title: Painter v. Painter

Citation: 

Docket Number: 198, 2021

State: delaware

Court: Delaware Supreme Court

Date: 2022-02-01T00:00:00Z

Document:
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
SAMUEL PAINTER,1 
 
 
Petitioner Below, 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
LOUISE PAINTER, 
 
Respondent Below,  
         Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 198, 2021 
§ 
§  Court Below—Family Court 
§  of the State of Delaware 
§     
§  File No. CN14-02909 
§  Petition No. 20-25292 
§                   
§   
§   
 
 
 
 
 
  Submitted:  December 17, 2021 
 
 
 
 
 
  Decided:  February 1, 2022 
 
Before SEITZ, Chief Justice; VALIHURA and VAUGHN, Justices. 
 
O R D E R 
 
 
After careful consideration of the briefs and the record on appeal, we conclude 
that the judgment below should be affirmed on the basis of the Family Court’s order 
dated May 28, 2021.  On appeal from a Family Court order entered after a hearing, 
this Court accepts the factual findings of the Family Court if they are sufficiently 
supported by the record and are the product of an orderly and logical deductive 
process.2  Only when the factual findings are clearly wrong and justice requires that 
they be overturned will this Court make contradictory findings.3  Moreover, when 
 
1 The Court previously assigned pseudonyms to the parties pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 7(d). 
2 See Ruark v. Ruark, 2003 WL 22415996 (Del. Oct. 21, 2003) (affirming Family Court’s order 
affirming Commissioner’s order that denied a petition for an order of protection from abuse). 
3 Id. 
2 
 
the determination of facts turns on a question of credibility and the acceptance or 
rejection of the testimony of the witnesses appearing before the trier of fact, as in 
this case, this Court will not substitute its own opinion for that of the trier of fact.4  
We do not find the findings of the Family Court Commissioner to be clearly wrong.  
We therefore find no basis for reversing the Family Court’s order affirming the 
Commissioner’s order. 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the Family 
Court is AFFIRMED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Karen L. Valihura 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice 
 
4 Id.