Title: Miller v. State

State: delaware

Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court

Document:

State v. Miller, Del. Super. Ct, Cr. ID No. 0403022047, Cooch, J. (Nov. 20, 1996).
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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE
LAFAYETTE E.  MILLER,
§
§
No.  668, 2006
Defendant Below,
§
Appellant,
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Court Below--Superior Court 
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of the State of Delaware in and 
v.
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for New Castle County  
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STATE OF DELAWARE,
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§
Plaintiff Below,
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Cr.  ID No.  0403022047
Appellee.
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Submitted: January 4, 2007
Decided:
February 28, 2007
Before STEELE, Chief Justice, HOLLAND and RIDGELY, Justices.
O R D E R
This 28  day of February 2007, upon consideration of the notice of
th
appeal filed by the appellant, the notice to show cause issued by the Clerk, and
the appellant’s response to the notice to show cause, it appears to the Court that:
(1)
The appellant, Lafayette E.  Miller, is an inmate at a correctional
facility in Delaware.  On December 22, 2006, Miller filed a notice of appeal
dated December 18, 2006 from a decision dated and docketed in the Superior
Court on November 20, 2006.1
(2)
The Clerk issued a notice directing that Miller show cause why the
appeal should not be dismissed as untimely for his failure to file the notice of
Del. Supr. Ct. R. 6(a)(iii) (2007).
2
Del. Supr. Ct. R. 6(a), 10(a) ; Carr v. State, 554 A.2d 778, 779 (Del. 1989).
3
Del. Supr. Ct. R. 10(a). 
4
Id.
5
Bey v. State, 402 A.2d 362, 363 (Del. 1979).
6
2
appeal within thirty days of the Superior Court’s decision.   Miller responded
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that he mailed the notice of appeal from the Delaware Correctional Center on
Sunday, December 17, 2006, in an envelope addressed to the Supreme Court
in Wilmington, New Castle County.
(3)
Under Delaware law and procedure, a notice of appeal must be
received within thirty days.   A notice of appeal may be filed by mail with a
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Deputy Clerk in any county.   Filing is not complete, however, until the notice
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of appeal has been received by the Deputy Clerk.   Unless an appellant can
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demonstrate that the failure to file a timely notice of appeal is attributable to
court-related personnel, an untimely appeal cannot be considered.6
(4)
The  envelope enclosing Miller’s notice of appeal is postmarked
Tuesday, December 19, 2006.  The envelope was received and the enclosed
notice of appeal was filed on Friday, December 22, 2006, by a Supreme Court
Deputy Clerk in  New Castle County.
(5)
Miller’s notice of appeal was filed thirty-two days after the
docketing of the decision from which the appeal was taken.  The record does
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not reflect that Miller’s failure to file the notice of appeal within thirty days is
related to court-related personnel. This case does not fall within the exception
to the general rule that mandates the timely filing of a notice of appeal.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to Supreme Court
Rule 29(b), that the appeal is DISMISSED.
BY THE COURT:
/s/ Myron T. Steele
Chief Justice