Case Title: Jackson v. Phelps, et al.

Citation: 

Docket Number: 580, 2018

State: delaware

Court: Delaware Supreme Court

Date: 2019-12-06T00:00:00Z

Document:
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
JOSEPH JACKSON, 
 
 
Plaintiff Below, 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
PERRY PHELPS, et al., 
 
Defendants Below, 
Appellees. 
§ 
§  No. 580, 2018 
§ 
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware 
§     
§  C.A. No. K18C-04-044 
§                         
§ 
§ 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted: October 4, 2019 
 
 
 
 
Decided: 
December 6, 2019 
 
Before SEITZ, Chief Justice; VAUGHN, and TRAYNOR, Justices.  
 
 
ORDER 
 
After careful consideration of the parties’ briefs and the record on the appeal, the 
Court concludes that this appeal must be dismissed under Supreme Court Rule 29(c).1    
The appellant, Joseph Jackson,2 filed this appeal more than sixty days after he 
voluntarily dismissed his case in the Superior Court.  A timely notice of appeal was 
due within thirty days.3  Contrary to Jackson’s contentions, the Superior Court was not 
                                                 
1 Supr. Ct. R. 29(c) (providing for dismissal sua sponte if the appeal “manifestly fails on its face to 
invoke the jurisdiction of the Court and where the Court concludes, in the exercise of its discretion, 
that the giving of notice would serve no meaningful purpose and that any response would be of no 
avail.”). 
2 The appellees filed a notification of suggestion of Mr. Jackson’s death in July.  His next of kin has 
indicated that she wishes to pursue this appeal. 
3 Supr. Ct. R. 6(a)(i). 
2 
 
required to enter an order upon his filing of the voluntary dismissal to make the 
dismissal effective.4   
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED, under Supreme Court Rule 29(c), that 
this appeal is DISMISSED. 
   
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
/s/ Collins J. Seitz, Jr. 
        Chief Justice 
                                                 
4 Super. Ct. Civ. R. 41(a)(1)(I) (“Subject to payment of costs and the provisions of Rule 23(e), an 
action may be dismissed by the plaintiff without order of court…by filing a notice of dismissal at any 
time before service by the adverse party of an answer or of a motion for summary judgment whichever 
first occurs) (emphasis added).