Opinion ID: 2010799
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Default Judgment Denied

Text: The individual defendant-appellee, Anthony Gene Shamblin, has not participated in this appeal. Clinton argues that the Superior Court erred in denying its motion for a default judgment against Shamblin and in granting Shamblin's pro se motion to dismiss. After the Superior Court granted Enterprise's motion to dismiss, Clinton filed a motion for a default judgment against Shamblin. In response to that motion, Shamblin filed a pro se response that included seven paragraphs. In the first paragraph of his pro se response, Shamblin asserted that the statute of limitations had expired on this case since the accident occurred on March 2, 2005, as it did with Enterprise Rent-A-Car co-defendant in this case. The Superior Court had the discretionary authority to accept Shamblin's pro se response as an appearance that precluded the entry of a default judgment. [20] The Superior Court also had the authority to deem the pro se reference to Enterprise and its prior ruling on the statute of limitations as adopting the successful arguments that had been made by Enterprise. In fact, the final paragraph of Shamblin's pro se response stated Per Statute of limitations I am requesting this Civil Action be dismissed without further cause. Clinton's motion for a default judgment was filed after the Superior Court held that the cause of action against Enterprise was barred by the Delaware statute of limitations. The final paragraph in Shamblin's pro se response was a motion to dismiss based upon the Superior Court's decision in favor of Enterprise. The Superior Court acted properly by declining to enter a default judgment against Shamblin in the same untimely cause of action that had been dismissed as to Enterprise and, instead, by also dismissing the action against Shamblin.