Title: Williams v. Mackenzie, R.N.
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 524, 2012
State: Delaware
Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court
Date: May 7, 2013

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
DANA I. WILLIAMS, 
 
Plaintiff Below- 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
JAMILLA MACKENZIE, R.N., 
 
Defendant Below- 
Appellee. 
§ 
§  No. 524, 2012 
§ 
§ 
§ 
§  Court Below—Superior Court 
§  of the State of Delaware, 
§  in and for Kent County 
§  C.A. No. K10C-12-030 
§ 
§ 
 
Submitted:  April 12, 2013 
Decided:  May 7, 2013 
 
Before STEELE, Chief Justice, HOLLAND, and RIDGELY, Justices 
 
O R D E R 
 
 
This 7th day of May 2013, after careful consideration of the opening brief1 
and the record on appeal, it appears to the Court that: 
 
(1) 
The appellant, Dana Williams, filed this appeal from the Superior 
Court’s dismissal of his complaint for nonpayment of the filing fee.  We find no 
abuse of discretion in the Superior Court’s judgment.  Accordingly, we affirm. 
 
(2) 
Williams is a convicted felon who is incarcerated at the Vaughn 
Correctional Center.  In December 2010, Williams filed a complaint alleging 
medical negligence against a prison nurse who failed to diagnose and treat his 
broken leg in March 2009, which allegedly resulted in permanent injury to 
                                                 
1 After the appellee failed to file an answering brief, the parties were informed that the matter 
would be considered on the basis of the opening brief and the record below. 
 
2
Williams.  On January 5, 2011, the Superior Court granted Williams’ application to 
proceed in forma pauperis and ordered him to pay 20% of the average daily 
balance of his prison inmate account for the preceding six months.  On January 21, 
2011, Williams wrote to the Prothonotary and stated that he had no money in his 
prison inmate account.  The Prothonotary wrote back to Williams and informed 
him that he was required to prove his average daily balance by providing 
statements for the six months preceding the filing of his complaint.  The 
Prothonotary informed Williams that, if the statements established that his average 
daily balance for the preceding six months was $0, then he would not be required 
to make any payment.  Williams’ deadline for providing his account statements 
was June 15, 2011. 
 
(3) 
Almost a year later, in May 2012, Williams wrote to the Superior 
Court providing his account statements and again asserting that he presently had no 
money in his account to pay any fee.  The Superior Court wrote to Williams on 
May 30, 2012 and informed him that his account statements for the six months 
preceding the filing of his December 2010 complaint reflected, in fact, that 
Williams had maintained a balance in his prison account and that he was required 
to pay 20% of that average daily balance.  Williams made no payment.  On 
September 6, 2012, the Superior Court dismissed Williams’ complaint for 
nonpayment of the filing fee.  This appeal followed. 
 
3
 
(4) 
In his opening brief on appeal, Williams essentially contends that the 
Superior Court abused its discretion in dismissing his complaint at this stage of the 
proceedings because the allegations of his complaint were sufficient to withstand 
summary dismissal and because he complied with the Superior Court’s order that 
he prove his indigency by providing a copy of his inmate account statement, which 
reflected that he had no money in his account. 
 
(5) 
We disagree.  While Williams’ account statement may have reflected 
a present balance of $0, the statement also reflected that Williams had maintained 
a balance in the account during the six months preceding the filing his December 
2010 complaint.  We find no abuse of the Superior Court’s discretion in ordering 
Williams to pay 20% of that average daily balance in order to proceed with his 
civil complaint.  The Superior Court afforded Williams more than a year to make 
the required payment.  We find no abuse of the Superior Court’s discretion in 
dismissing Williams’ complaint for nonpayment.2 
 
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED that the judgment of the Superior 
Court is AFFIRMED. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BY THE COURT: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/ Myron T. Steele 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chief Justice 
                                                 
2 See Biggins v. Phelps, 2009 WL 2055128 (Del. July 16, 2009).