Title: Jackson v. Delaware Office of Animal Welfare

State: delaware

Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
LORETTA JACKSON, 
 
Plaintiff Below, 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
DELAWARE OFFICE OF 
ANIMAL WELFARE and 
DELAWARE DIVISION OF 
PUBLIC HEALTH, 
 
Defendants Below, 
Appellees. 
§ 
§   
§  No. 219, 2021 
§ 
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware 
§   
§  C.A. No. N21C-06-065 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted:  February 4, 2022 
 
 
 
 
Decided:     March 22, 2022 
 
Before VAUGHN, TRAYNOR, and MONTGOMERY-REEVES, Justices. 
 
ORDER 
 
After careful consideration of the parties’ briefs and the record below, we 
conclude that the Superior Court’s dismissal of the complaint filed by the plaintiff 
below-appellant, Loretta Jackson, should be affirmed.  The Superior Court dismissed 
the complaint, which was the third complaint Jackson had filed relating to the death 
of her dog in June 2016, as barred by res judicata.  Jackson primarily reargues the 
Superior Court’s dismissal of her first complaint in this appeal.  As this Court 
previously held in affirming the Superior Court’s dismissal of Jackson’s second 
2 
 
complaint, Jackson cannot relitigate the dismissal of her first complaint.1  To the 
extent Jackson argues that res judicata did not bar her new claim that the defendants 
below-appellees committed fraud by providing a false name for the animal welfare 
officer allegedly responsible for the death of her dog, that claim would be barred by 
the three-year statute of limitations as Jackson has had notice of the correct name 
since the filing of the first motion to dismiss in December 2016.2    
 
This is the third appeal Jackson has filed arising from the same claims.  We 
warn Jackson that if the Court finds she has abused the judicial process by filing 
frivolous or malicious litigation, the Court may enjoin her from filing future appeals 
without leave of the Court.3 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the Superior 
Court is AFFIRMED.   
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Gary F. Traynor 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice 
 
1 Jackson v. Barla, 2019 WL 1941484 (Del. May 1, 2019). 
2 10 Del. C. § 8106(a).   
3 10 Del. C. § 8803(e).