Title: West v. Division of Child Support/ Tabetha Lewis
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 446, 2023
State: Delaware
Issuer: Delaware Supreme Court
Date: December 20, 2023

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE 
 
DALLAS WEST,1 
 
Petitioner Below, 
Appellant, 
 
v. 
 
DIVISION OF CHILD SUPPORT 
SERVICES/TABETHA LEWIS, 
 
Respondent Below, 
Appellee. 
§ 
§   
§  No. 446, 2023 
§ 
§  Court Below—Family Court 
§  of the State of Delaware 
§   
§  File No. CN05-02715 
§  Petition No. 23-13946 
§    
§ 
§ 
 
Submitted: December 18, 2023 
Decided: 
December 20, 2023 
 
Before TRAYNOR, LEGROW, and GRIFFITHS, Justices. 
 
 
ORDER 
 
(1) 
The appellant filed this appeal from a child support order.  The order, 
originally issued October 31, 2023, and amended November 13, 2023, was entered 
by a Family Court commissioner. 
(2) 
The Senior Court Clerk issued a notice directing the appellant to show 
cause why this appeal should not be dismissed because this Court lacks jurisdiction 
to consider an appeal from a decision of a Family Court commissioner.  In response 
to the notice, the appellant argues the merits of the appeal but does not address the 
Court’s lack of jurisdiction. 
 
1 The Court previously assigned pseudonyms to the parties under Supreme Court Rule 7(d). 
 
2 
(3) 
This Court’s appellate jurisdiction over civil proceedings in the Family 
Court is limited to decisions issued by the judges of the Family Court.2  Under 10 
Del. C. § 915(d) and Family Court Civil Rule 53.1(a), a party’s right to appeal from 
a commissioner’s order is to a judge of the Family Court.3  An order issued by a 
commissioner is not a final judgment for purposes of appeal to this Court.4  This 
Court therefore lacks jurisdiction to consider this appeal, and the appeal must be 
dismissed.  
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED, under Supreme Court Rule 29(b), 
that the appeal is DISMISSED.   
BY THE COURT: 
 
/s/ Abigail M. LeGrow 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Justice 
 
 
2 Wilson v. Div. of Child Support Servs., 2021 WL 5028375 (Del. Oct. 28, 2021). 
3 Id. 
4 Id. (citing Redden v. McGill, 549 A.2d 695 (Del. 1988)).