Opinion ID: 2338760
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Law of Case Illegal Sentences

Text: The proceedings leading to Brittingham's conviction, including the validity of the Superior Court's determination of his habitual criminal status, were reviewed by this Court and rejected in Brittingham's direct appeal. Brittingham v. State, Del.Supr., No. 486, 1991, Veasey, C.J., 1992 WL 219205 (July 31, 1992) (ORDER). Thereafter, in his first motion for postconviction relief under Superior Court Criminal Rule 61 (Rule 61), Brittingham raised the same challenges to his habitual offender status that he advanced in the Rule 35(a) motions which are the subject of this appeal: (1) the alleged invalidity of his 1986 conviction based on trial judge's supposed conflict of interest; and (2) the alleged invalidity of his 1983 conviction based on the supposed coercion of his guilty plea. This Court affirmed the Superior Court's denial of Brittingham's Rule 61 motions, finding that his claims were procedurally barred and that Brittingham had failed to demonstrate that he was entitled to relief on the merits in the interest of justice. Brittingham v. State, Del.Supr., No. 25, 1995, Berger, J., 1995 WL 715837 (Nov. 8, 1995) (ORDER). The law of the case doctrine is well established in Delaware. See, e.g., Bailey v. State, Del.Supr., 521 A.2d 1069, 1093 (1987); Hughes v. State, Del.Supr., 490 A.2d 1034, 1048 (1985); State v. Halko, Del.Super., 188 A.2d 100, 107-08 (1962). That doctrine bars relitigation, under Rule 35(a), of an illegal sentence where that issue has been previously decided by this Court. The doctrine of law of the case is flexible (unlike res judicata, which is both inflexible and inapplicable to many post-conviction motions, including those based on grounds of double jeopardy ...). It will not be enforced where doing so would produce an injustice. But it does apply to Rule 35 unless some reason is shown for not applying it, and none was here. United States v. Mazak, 7th Cir., 789 F.2d 580, 581 (1986) (citations omitted). Brittingham cannot continue to litigate previously decided issues by changing the number of the Superior Court rule under which he seeks postconviction relief. See Super.Ct.Crim.R. 61(i)(1), (3), (4); Bailey v. State, 521 A.2d at 1095. See also Trans World Airlines, Inc. v. Hughes, Del.Ch., 317 A.2d 114, 119 (1974), aff'd, Del.Supr., 336 A.2d 572 (1975). The prior decisions by this Court on any adjudicated issue involving Brittingham's claims became the law of the case in all subsequent stages of his continuing criminal proceedings. State v. Halko, 188 A.2d at 107-08.