I N TH E S UP ERI O R CO URT O F TH E S TATE O F DELAW ARE

T ODD G RE E N, :

: S u pr em e Cou r t Cas e No.

v

. : 540, 2015

:

S T A T E O F D E L A WA RE : S u per i or Cou

r t I D No. 1406002733

: I n an d F or

K en t Cou n ty

Def en dan t. :

Recom m en d

ed Fin din gs of Fact an d Con clu s ion s of L aw on Rem an d

COM E S N OW, th i s 1 0 t h day of F ebr u ar y 2016, th e S u

per i or Cou

r t i n an d f or K en t

Cou n t y

, an d s u bm i t s t h e f ol l o w ing F i n di n g s of F act an d Con cl u s i on s of L aw to th e

Del awar e S u

pr em e Cou

r t f or i t s con s i der ati on :

1. On J an u ar y 22, 2016, th e S u

pr em e Cou

r t r em an ded th i s m atter to th e S u p er i or

Cou r t f or th e l i m i t ed pu r pos e of con d

u cti n g a h ear i n g pu

r s u an t to S u pr em e Cou

r t Ru l es

19( c) an d 26( d) ( i i i )

. A

ppel l an t/Def en dan t- B el ow T odd Gr een ( h er ei n af t er “ Gr een ”) f

i l ed

an af f i d av i t wi th th e S u

p r em e Cou

r t pu r su an t t o Ru l e 26( d ) ( i i i ) r equ es ti n g to di sch ar g e h i s

attor n ey an d to r epr es en

t h i m sel f i n h i s appeal b ef or e t h e Del awar e S u

pr em e Cour t.

A ccor d i n g l y

, th e S u

pr em e Cou

r t r em an d ed th e m

atter f or th i s Cou

r t t o c o n du ct an

ev i den ti ar y h ear i n g r eg ar di n g wh eth er Gr een ’ s deci si on to pr oceed pr o s e i s kn owi n g an d

v ol u n tar y

. A t th e h ear i n g

, G r een i n d i cated h e di d n ot wi s h to pr os ecu t e h i s appeal pr o

s e

.

2. T h e h ear i n g took pl ace on F ebr u ar y 4, 2016. P r es en

t at th e h ear i n g wer e Gr een

an d r epr e s e n t ati v es of both th e S tate an d th e P u bl i c Def en d er ’ s Of

f i ce. T h e S u

pr em eCou

r t r equ es ted t

h at I addr es s th e s peci f

i c i n q u i r es r equ i r ed by W

ats on v. State

, 564 A

. 2d

1107 ( Del

. 1989)

. T h e S u

pr em e Cou

r t al s o r es tated th os e q

u es ti on s i n th e Rem an d Or der

.

3. Gr een tes t i f

i ed at th e h ear i n g und e r oath

. T h e f ol l owi n g i s su

m m ar i zed

tes ti m on y f r om Gr een :

a. Gr een wou l d l i ke to d i s ch ar g e h i s appel l ate cou n s el f r o m th e P ub l i c

Def en der ’ s Of

f i ce an d h av e s epar ate cou n s el appoi n

ted. H e i n di cated th at h e h ad

di s ag r eem en

ts wi t h h i s appel l ate cou

n s el r eg ar di n g w h i ch i s s u es s h ou l d be pr o s ecu ted on

appeal

.

b. Gr een q

u al i f i es as an i n di g en

t per s on

. H e con f

i r m ed th at h e h as n o as s ets

,

n o i n com e, a nd no abi l i ty to h i r e a pr i v ate attor n ey

. T h e r epr es en

tati v e of th e P u

bl i c

Def en der ’ s Of

f i ce wh o was pr es en

t con f i r m ed th at Gr een qu al i f

i es as an i n di g en

t per s on

pu r s u an t to t h ei r g u i del i n es

.

d. H e u n der s tan ds t

h at s i n ce h e i s i n di g en

t, h e m u s t ei th er ( 1) con

ti n u e to

accept th e r epr es en

tati on on appeal by h i s pr es en t cou r t- appoi n ted cou n s el or ( 2) pr oceed

pr o s e. H e i n di cated th at si n ce f i l i n g th e m

oti on to pr oceed pr o s e

, h e h as f i l ed a m oti on

wi th th e S u pr em e Cou

r t to s eek d i f

f er en t cou n s el

.

e. H e tes ti f

i ed t h at i f th e s u

b s equ en t f i l ed m oti o n to pr o v i de h i m di f

f er en t

cou n s el i s n ot g r an

ted, h e does n o t wan

t to p r oceed pr o se. I n th at ev en t, h e r equ es ts to

r etai n h i s cu

r r en t appel l ate cou

n sel

.

24. S i n ce Gr een m ade cl ear th at h e di d n ot wi s h to pr oceed pr o s e

, I t er m i n ated th e

h ear i n g

. S i n ce th e s u

bs equ en t m o ti on f i l ed b y Gr een r equ es ti n g di f f er en t cou n s el was n ot

par t of th e S u

pr em e Cou

r t’ s ch ar g e to th i s Cou

r t, m y r ecom m en dati on s do n o t i n cl u de a

r e com m en ded di s pos i ti on r eg ar di n g th at m o ti on

. G r een

, h owev er

, i n di cated th at u n d er

n o ci r cu m s tan ces

, r eg ar dl es s of th e ou tcom e of th at m oti on

, wou l d h e wan

t t o pr oceed pr o

s e.

5. Nei th er th e S tate or th e P u b l i c D ef en der ’ s Of

f i ce attor n ey th o u g h

t i t n eces s ar

y

to s u ppl em en t th e r ecor d f

u r th er

.

5. I f i n d an d accor di n g l y r ecom m en d th at th e S u

pr em e Cou

r t f i n d th at Gr een does

n ot wi s h to pr oceed pr o s e. H e t es ti f i ed th at h e wou l d pr ef

er di f f er en t appel l ate cou

n s el

,

bu t i f th at appl i cati on i s d en i ed, h e wi s h es to r etai n h i s cu r r en t cou n s el

. H e pr es en

ted to

th i s Cou r t as ar ti cu l ate an d r es ol

u te an d was s ati s f

i ed th at h e h ad su f

f i ci en t ti m e to con s u l t

wi th cou n s el r eg ar di n g h i s d eci s i on

. Ac c o r d ing l y

, I r es pectf u l l y r ecom

m en d to th e

S u pr em e Cou

r t th at i t den

y Gr een ’ s r equ es t to pr oceed pr o s e b ef or e t h e Cou r t.

NO W

, TH EREF O RE, I T I S O RDERED th at th e P r oth on otar y s h al l f or th wi th

tr an s m i t th es e f i n di n g s of f

act an d con cl u s i on s of l aw t o th e Cl er k of th e S u

pr em e Cou r t

of Del awar e.

/s /J ef f r ey J Cl ar k

J u dg e

3