Opinion ID: 1927385
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Chrysler's Retroactive Application County Lost Standing/Primary Appeal Moot

Text: When the County filed its primary appeal with the Superior Court, that Court had subject matter jurisdiction to hear appeals from the Board decision and, at that time, the County had standing to bring such an appeal. Cf. Perry v. State, Del.Supr., 575 A.2d 1154, 1156 (1990). The Superior Court properly concluded that it was bound by this Court's affirmance in Chrysler and that Chrysler should be applied retroactively to the action pending between the County and GMC. Those determinations, however, did not divest the Superior Court of subject matter jurisdiction to hear appeals from decisions of the Board. 9 Del.C. § 8312(c). This Court's affirmance of Chrysler did, however, divest the County of standing to pursue an appeal from the Board decision. The proper disposition of the County's primary appeal in the Superior Court should have been a dismissal for lack of jurisdiction on the basis of mootness, as a result of the County's loss of standing, rather than a dismissal for the Superior Court's lack of subject matter jurisdiction over appeals from Board decisions.