Title: Laird, et al. v. Board of Adjustment of Town of Dewey Beach, et al.

State: delaware

Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE

JAMES L. LAIRD, ELIZABETH A. §
LAIRD, PETER H. LUCAS, ROSE §

A.LUCAS, JOSEPHMCAVOY, § —_No. 392, 2014
KATIE MCAVOY, SUZANNE
MESSINA, KATHLEEN R.
‘SULLIVAN, as trustee, and PHILLIP
C. WINKLER,

Court Below: Superior Court
of the State of Delaware in
and for Sussex County
C.A.No. S14A-01-001

Appellants Below-
Appellants,

v,

BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT OF
THE TOWN OF DEWEY BEACH
WALTER G. BRUHL, JR., and
HELENE S. BRUHL,

Appellees Below-
Appellees.

Submitted: April 29, 2015
Decided: April 30, 2015

Before STRINE, Chief Justice; HOLLAND, and VAUGHN, Justices.
ORDER
This 30* day of April 2015, the Court having considered this matter after oral
argument and on the briefs filed by the parties has determined that the final judgment

of the Superior Court should be affirmed on the basis of and for the reasons assigned
by the Superior Court in its Order dated June 26, 2014."
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the Superior
Court be, and the same hereby is, AFFIRMED.
BY THE COURT:

a

Justice

' The appellants have argued that they were not permitted to testify or otherwise be heard
at the November 20, 2013 hearing before the Town of Dewey Beach Board of Adjustment which
is the subject ofthis appeal. No transcript of the hearing exists because the Board of
‘Adjustment’s tape recording equipment malfunctioned. It was error for the Board of Adjustment
to deny the appellants an opportunity to testify or otherwise be heard atthe hearing. However,
we have determined thatthe Board’s failure o allow the appellants to be heard does not require
reversal because the Board decided an appeal which involved a narrow question of law and the
appellants’ proffered testimony would not have alfected the result. We also note thatthe
appellants have not presented an argument that they were denied an opportunity to file an appeal
‘objecting tothe issuance of the May 29, 2013 building permit.