Title: LM Insurance Corporation v. Silva-Garcia, et al.

State: delaware

Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court

Document:

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
LM INSURANCE CORPORATION, 
§ 
 
 
§  No. 493, 2013 
 
Appellant Below, 
§ 
 
Appellant, 
§  Court Below:  Superior Court of  
 
 
§  the State of Delaware, in and for 
 
v. 
§  Kent County 
 
 
§ 
JESUS SILVA-GARCIA and 
§  C. A. No. K13A-01-002   
CITY WINDOW CLEANING OF  
§ 
DELAWARE, INC.  
§ 
 
 
§ 
 
Appellees Below, 
§ 
 
Appellees. 
§ 
 
Submitted:  April 30, 2014 
Decided:  June 13, 2014 
 
Before STRINE, Chief Justice, BERGER and JACOBS, Justices. 
 
O R D E R 
 
 
This 13th day of June, upon consideration of the briefs of the parties, and 
their contentions in oral argument, it appears to the Court that the judgment of the 
Superior Court should be affirmed on the basis of its decision dated August 22, 
2013.  That judgment upheld the Industrial Accident Board (“IAB”) determination 
that the workers’ compensation insurance policy issued to appellee, City Window 
Cleaning of Delaware, Inc. (“City Window”), by appellant, LM Insurance 
Corporation, was renewed effective January 13, 2010 at 12:01 a.m.  Specifically, 
the IAB found that the term “U.S. postmark,” as used in the Delaware Workers 
Compensation Insurance Plan Handbook (the “Handbook”), encompasses private 
 
2
meter marks in applying the relevant Handbook provisions to determine the 
effective date of City Window’s renewed insurance coverage.  We conclude that 
the IAB’s decision to interpret the term “U.S. postmark” in the Handbook 
consistently with federal postal standards was proper.1  We also conclude that the 
Superior Court properly determined that the IAB’s adjudication of the insurance 
coverage dispute was not barred by the doctrines of claim preclusion or issue 
preclusion. 
 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the Superior 
Court is AFFIRMED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
/s/ Jack B. Jacobs  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
        Justice 
                                                 
1 See, e.g., United States Postal Service Glossary of Postal Terms, Pub. 32, at 133 (July 2013), 
available at http://about.usps.com/publications/pub32.pdf (defining “metered mail” as “[a]ny 
mail class or product (except Periodicals and Bound Printed Matter) with postage printed with a 
USPS-approved postage meter or PC Postage product/system.  This mail is entitled to all 
privileges and subject to all conditions that apply to the various mail classes and products.”).