Title: Banther v. State
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 486, 2013
State: Delaware
Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court
Date: June 23, 2014

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
BRUCE BANTHER, 
 
Defendant Below- 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Plaintiff Below- 
Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 486, 2013 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware, 
§  in and for Kent County 
§  Cr. No. 9705000270 
§   
§ 
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted: June 16, 2014 
 
 
 
 
  Decided: June 20, 2014 
 
 
 
 
Amended:   June 23, 2014 
 
Before STRINE, Chief Justice, HOLLAND, and BERGER, Justices. 
 
ORDER 
 
This 23rd day of June 2014, it appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
On September 16, 2013, the appellant, Bruce Banther, filed a notice of 
appeal from an August 15, 2013 Superior Court order regarding property seized 
from him in 1997 and not introduced into evidence at his trials.  For the reasons 
that follow, the Court concludes that the appeal must be dismissed. 
(2) 
The Supreme Court docket reflects this appeal has been pending since 
September 2013.  Banther’s opening brief and appendix were originally due on or 
before October 31, 2013.  On October 30, 2013, the Court granted Banther’s 
request for an extension of time and ordered that he file his opening brief and 
2 
 
appendix on or before December 30, 2013.  On December 27, 2013, the Court 
granted Banther’s second request for an extension of time and ordered that he file 
his opening brief and appendix on or before January 31, 2014.   
(3) 
On January 29, 2014, Banther moved to stay the proceedings until he 
could obtain certain materials for his opening brief and appendix.  On March 14, 
2014, the Court denied the motion to stay and ordered that Banther file his opening 
brief and appendix on or before April 15, 2014.  
(4) 
On April 21, 2014, the Chief Deputy Clerk sent a notice of brief 
delinquency to Banner.  On April 29, 2014, the Chief Deputy Clerk issued a notice 
to Banther to show cause why his appeal should not be dismissed for his failure to 
diligently prosecute the appeal by not filing his opening brief and appendix in this 
matter.  On April 30, 2014, Banther submitted a letter stating he intended to file his 
opening brief, but was still waiting to receive certain materials.  On May 2, 2014, 
the Court ordered that Banther’s opening brief and appendix were due on May 12, 
2014 and that there would be no further extensions.   
(5) 
On May 13, 2014, Banther submitted a letter stating that his opening 
brief would be late because he had to rewrite his brief in light of new materials he 
had just received.  The Clerk issued a brief delinquency notice on May 19, 2014 
and a notice to show cause on May 29, 2014.  In his response to the notice to show 
cause, Banther complains that property seized from him in 1997 has not been 
3 
 
returned to him and that he does not know how to file a brief under the 
circumstances.  
(6) 
This Court may dismiss an appeal if an appellant fails to diligently 
prosecute the appeal.1  It is the appellant’s responsibility to prepare an opening 
brief.2  The record reflects that, despite multiple extensions, the May 19, 2014 brief 
delinquency notice, and the May 29, 2014 notice to show cause, Banner has not 
filed an opening brief and appendix.  In light of Banther’s failure to diligently 
prosecute his appeal, the appeal must be dismissed.   
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED, under Supreme Court 
Rule 29(b), that the within appeal is DISMISSED. 
BY THE COURT: 
  /s/ Leo E. Strine, Jr. 
 
 
 
Chief Justice 
 
                                                 
1 Supr. Ct. R. 29(b). 
2 Supr. Ct. R. 15(a)(i).