Title: Bennett v. Jacobs
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 477, 2018
State: Delaware
Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court
Date: August 19, 2019

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
MICHAEL BENNETT,1 
 
Petitioner Below, 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
JENNIFER JACOBS, 
 
Respondent Below, 
Appellee. 
§ 
§   
§  No. 477, 2018 
§ 
§  Court Below—Family Court 
§  of the State of Delaware 
§   
§  File No. CN08-05031 
§  Petition Nos. 13-38057, 14-16798 
§    
§ 
§ 
 
Submitted: August 2, 2019 
Decided: 
August 19, 2019 
 
 
ORDER 
 
This 19th day of August 2019, it appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
The appellant filed this appeal from a Family Court order concerning 
visitation with the appellant’s minor child.  The opening brief was due to be filed by 
June 24, 2019. When the appellant did not file the brief, the Chief Deputy Clerk 
issued a brief delinquency notice, dated July 2, 2019, advising the appellant that the 
brief must be filed within seven days.  The appellant did not respond to the brief 
delinquency notice and did not file the opening brief. 
                                                 
1 The Court previously assigned pseudonyms to the parties pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 7(d). 
 
2 
(2) 
 On July 12, 2019, the Chief Deputy Clerk issued a notice, by certified 
mail, directing the appellant to show cause why the appeal should not be dismissed 
for failure to file the opening brief. The notice to show cause directed the appellant 
to respond within ten days and advised him that if he did not respond, dismissal of 
the appeal would be deemed to be unopposed.  
(3) 
The appellant’s address has changed multiple times since he filed this 
appeal.  When he filed the appeal, the appellant was incarcerated; it appears that he 
has since been released.  The July 12 notice to show cause and the July 2 brief 
delinquency notice were both sent to the most recent address that the Court has for 
the appellant.  On July 22, 2019, the July 12 notice to show cause was returned to 
the Clerk’s office, marked by the postal service as undeliverable.  The July 2 brief 
delinquency notice has not been returned.  The Clerk’s office contacted the Family 
Court and the Department of Correction and neither had an updated address for the 
appellant.  The Clerk’s office also contacted the appellant’s probation officer, who 
stated that he does not have an updated address for the appellant and that the 
appellant never reported to probation as directed. 
(4) 
The appellant having failed to respond to the notice to show cause 
within the required ten-day period, to file the opening brief, or to report any change 
of address to the Court, dismissal of this action is deemed unopposed.  
 
3 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED, under Supreme Court Rules 29(b) 
and 3(b)(2), that the appeal is DISMISSED.  
BY THE COURT: 
 
/s/ Collins J. Seitz, Jr. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice