Case Title: Klein v. Blue Valley, LLC

Citation: 

Docket Number: 314, 2023

State: delaware

Court: Delaware Supreme Court

Date: 2023-09-20T00:00:00Z

Document:
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
JOHN H. KLEIN, 
 
 
Defendant Below, 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
BLUE VALLEY, LLC, 
 
Plaintiff Below,  
Appellee. 
 
§ 
§ No. 314, 2023 
§ 
§ Court Below: Superior Court 
§ of the State of Delaware 
§     
§ C.A. No. N20C-03-300 CCLD 
§  
§                        
§                         
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
  Submitted:  September 19, 2023 
 
 
 
 
 
  Decided:  September 20, 2023 
 
Before SEITZ, Chief Justice; VALIHURA and GRIFFITHS, Justices. 
 
ORDER 
 
 
After consideration of the notice to show cause and the appellant’s response, 
it appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
The plaintiff-appellee, Blue Valley, LLC, filed a complaint in the 
Superior Court alleging that the defendant-appellant, John H. Klein, fraudulently 
induced Blue Valley to invest $7 million in Cambridge Therapeutic Technologies, 
LLC (“CTT”), breached the unit purchase agreement (the “UPA”) under which Blue 
Valley made its investment in CTT, and breached his agreement to indemnify Blue 
Valley against damages sustained from a breach of the UPA.  Blue Valley later filed 
an amended complaint, which asserted the claim for breach of the UPA against CTT 
2 
 
and the claims for breach of the indemnification agreement and for fraudulent 
inducement against Klein.   
(2) 
Blue Valley moved for summary judgment on its claims for breach of 
the UPA and breach of the indemnification agreement.  In May 2023, the Superior 
Court entered a consent order in which Blue Valley and CTT agreed that judgment 
would be entered against CTT, as to liability only, on Blue Valley’s claim for breach 
of the UPA.  The Superior Court later granted Blue Valley’s motion for summary 
judgment on its claim against Klein for breach of the indemnification agreement.  
The court entered judgment in favor of Blue Valley and against Klein for $7,000,000 
in damages; its attorneys’ fees and taxable costs of suit, in an amount to be 
determined by the court upon Blue Valley’s motion; and pre- and post-judgment 
interest at the legal rate.  On August 17, 2023, Blue Valley filed a motion for 
attorneys’ fees, expenses, and taxable costs.  Klein has filed an opposition to Blue 
Valley’s motion, and the motion remains pending in the Superior Court.1 
(3) 
Klein appealed to this Court from the Superior Court’s summary 
judgment decision.  The Senior Court Clerk issued a notice directing Klein to show 
cause why the appeal should not be dismissed for failure to comply with Supreme 
Court Rule 42 when taking an appeal from an apparent interlocutory order.  In 
 
1 On September 14, 2023, the Superior Court stayed Blue Valley’s motion, while this appeal is 
pending. 
3 
 
response to the notice to show cause, Klein asserts that the Superior Court’s 
judgment is final because Blue Valley has stated that the claims for breach of the 
UPA and breach of the indemnification agreement are the only claims against Klein. 
(4) 
Absent compliance with Supreme Court Rule 42, the appellate 
jurisdiction of this Court is limited to the review of final orders.2  This Court has 
consistently held that a judgment on the merits is not final and appealable until the 
trial court has ruled on an outstanding application for attorneys’ fees.3  Because Blue 
Valley’s motion for attorneys’ fees, expenses, and costs is pending before the 
Superior Court, this appeal must be dismissed as interlocutory. 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that this appeal is hereby 
DISMISSED.  The filing fee paid by Klein shall apply to any future appeal that he 
files from a final order entered in the case. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Collins J. Seitz, Jr. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
       Chief Justice 
 
2 Salzberg v. Sciabacucchi, 2019 WL 549039 (Del. Feb. 12, 2019) (citing Julian v. State, 440 A.2d 
990 (Del. 1982)). 
3 E.g., id. at *1; In re Rural Metro Corp. S’holders Litig., 2014 WL 7010818, at *1 (Del. Dec. 2, 
2014).