Title: Durham v. State
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 283, 2022
State: Delaware
Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court
Date: September 8, 2022

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
MICHAEL DURHAM, 
 
 
Defendant Below, 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
STATE OF DELAWARE, 
 
Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 283, 2022 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below–Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware 
§   
§   
§  Cr. ID No. 0208019524A (K) 
§                                  
 
 
 
 
 
Submitted: August 29, 2022 
 
 
 
 
Decided: 
September 8, 2022 
 
Before SEITZ, Chief Justice; VALIHURA and TRAYNOR, Justices. 
 
ORDER 
After consideration of the notice to show cause and the parties’ responses, it 
appears to the Court that: 
(1) 
On August 10, 2022, the appellant, Michael Durham, filed a notice of 
appeal from the Superior Court’s July 6, 2022 order denying his third motion for 
postconviction relief.  A timely notice of appeal was due on or before August 5, 
2022.1  The Senior Court Clerk issued a notice directing Durham to show cause why 
this appeal should not be dismissed as untimely filed under Supreme Court Rule 6. 
 
1 See Del. Supr. Ct. R. 6(a)(iv) (providing that a notice of appeal must be filed “[w]ithin 30 after 
entry upon the docket of a judgment or order in any proceeding for postconviction relief”). 
2 
 
(2) 
In his response to the notice to show cause, Durham claims that the 
Superior Court initially mailed the July 6, 2022 order to a post office box in Las 
Vegas, Nevada—not to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center (JTVCC) in 
Smyrna, Delaware, where Durham is incarcerated.  Durham further alleges that he 
did not receive a copy of the order until July 20, 2022.  To support his claims, 
Durham (i) attaches a copy of an envelope from the Superior Court Judges’ 
Chambers, postmarked July 8, 2022, and addressed to Durham in “Las Vegas, NV 
89119,” and (ii) refers the Court to the exhibit attached to his notice of appeal—a 
copy of an envelope from the Superior Court Judges’ Chambers, addressed to 
Durham at JTVCC, postmarked July 15, 2022, and marked “received” by the JTVCC 
mailroom on July 20, 2022. 
(3) 
At the request of the Court, the State also filed a response to the notice 
to show cause.  The State concedes that (i) the envelopes submitted by Durham 
support a finding that the Superior Court’s order was initially mailed to Nevada and 
Durham did not receive a copy of the order until July 20, 2022 and (ii) the mailing 
delay appears to be attributable to court-related personnel.  The State therefore does 
not object to remanding this matter to the Superior Court with instructions to re-issue 
the July 6, 2022 order to allow Durham to file a timely notice of appeal. 
(4) 
We conclude that Durham’s failure to file a timely notice of appeal is 
at least partially attributable to court personnel and that the proper course of action 
3 
 
is to remand this matter to the Superior Court.  Upon remand, the Superior Court 
shall re-issue its July 6, 2022 order.  
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that this matter is 
REMANDED to the Superior Court for further action in accordance with this Order.  
Jurisdiction is not retained. 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
/s/ Collins J. Seitz, Jr. 
        Chief Justice