Title: Swedlow v. American Finance, LLC

State: delaware

Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
MICHAEL DAVID SWEDLOW, 
 
 
Defendant Below, 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
AMERICAN FINANCE, LLC, 
 
Plaintiff Below, 
Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 438, 2020 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below–Justice of the Peace  
§  Court No. 16 of the State of  
§  Delaware in and for Kent County 
§ 
§   
§  C.A. No. JP16-15-007991    
§ 
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted: January 12, 2021 
 
 
 
 
Decided: 
January 14, 2021 
 
Before SEITZ, Chief Justice; VALIHURA and MONTGOMERY-REEVES, 
Justices. 
 
ORDER 
After careful consideration of the notice to show cause and the appellant’s 
response, it appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
On December 22, 2020, the appellant, Michael David Swedlow, filed a 
notice of appeal from a Justice of the Peace Court order dismissing Swedlow’s 
motion to vacate a default judgment.  On December 29, 2020, the Senior Court Clerk 
issued a notice to Swedlow to show cause why his appeal should not be dismissed 
for this Court’s lack of jurisdiction to consider an appeal from the Justice of the 
Peace Court. 
2 
 
(2) 
On January 12, 2021, Swedlow filed a response to the notice to show 
cause.  Swedlow objects to the dismissal of the appeal and contends that this Court 
does have jurisdiction to consider his appeal. 
(3) 
Notwithstanding Swedlow’s contention to the contrary, it is manifest 
that this Court does not have jurisdiction over this appeal.  A decision by a magistrate 
of the Justice of the Peace Court, whether in a criminal or civil case, is not directly 
appealable to this Court.1 
 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, under Supreme Court 
Rule 29(b), that the appeal is DISMISSED. 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Collins J. Seitz, Jr. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
          Chief Justice 
 
 
1 Kostyshyn v. City of Wilmington, 2006 WL 2771733, at *1 (Del. Sept. 25, 2006) (citing Del. 
Const., art. IV, § 11).