Court Opinion

ID: 9895739
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-11-08 17:04:10.076779+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:12:12.652271
License: Public Domain

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE

 PATRICIA KOSTSHYN,                      §
                                         §
       Defendant Below,                  § No. 310, 2023
       Appellant,                        §
                                         § Court Below—Superior Court
       v.                                § of the State of Delaware
                                         §
 NEW CASTLE COUNTY,                      § C.A. No. N22J-02871
                                         §
       Plaintiff Below                   §
       Appellee.                         §

                           Submitted: November 6, 2023
                           Decided:   November 7, 2023

Before VALIHURA, TRAYNOR, GRIFFITHS, Justices.

                                     ORDER

      After consideration of the notice to show cause and the appellant’s response,

it appears to the Court that:

      (1)    The appellant, Patricia Kostyshyn, filed this appeal from a monition

action in the Superior Court. On August 30, 2023 and September 26, 2023, the

Clerk’s office sent letters advising Kostyshyn to pay the filing fee or file a motion

to proceed in forma pauperis, first by September 14, 2023 and then by October 10,

2023. The Clerk’s office warned Kostyshyn that if she failed to do so a notice to

show cause would issue. The Clerk’s office sent the letters to the addresses provided

by Kostyshyn and her brother, Peter Kostyshyn, who had filed the same documents.
      (2)    On September 27, 2023, the Deputy Prothonotary submitted a letter

stating that Kostyshyn had not paid the Superior Court’s appeal preparation fee. The

Clerk’s office sent Kostyshyn a letter withdrawing the record deadline and directing

her to pay the Superior Court appeal preparation fee by October 10, 2023, or a notice

to show cause would issue. Kostyshyn did not pay this Court’s filing fee or the

Superior Court’s appeal preparation fee. She also failed to file a motion to proceed

in forma pauperis.

      (3)    On October 11, 2023 and October 12, 2023, the Clerk’s office issued

notices, by certified mail, directing Kostyshyn to show cause why this appeal should

not be dismissed for her failure to pay this Court’s filing fee and the Superior Court

appeal preparation fee. Postal records show that the October 11, 2023 notice to show

cause was delivered on October 12, 2023 and the October 12, 2023 notice to show

cause was returned with the notation “return to sender, vacant, unable to forward.”

On October 23, 2023, the Clerk’s office reissued the notices to show cause by first

class mail. The Court’s correspondence and notices to show cause were sent to the

addresses that the Kostyshyns provided, and continue to provide, to this Court.

      (4)    On October 25, 2023, November 3, 2023, and November 6, 2023,

Kostyshyn filed documents that are deemed to be her response to the notice to show

cause. The documents do not address her failure to pay this Court’s filing fee or the

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Superior Court’s appeal preparation fee. In light of Kostyshyn’s failure to pay those

fees or a motion to proceed in forma pauperis, this appeal must be dismissed.

      NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS ORDERED, under Supreme Court Rule 29(b),

that this appeal is DISMISSED.

                                       BY THE COURT:

                                       /s/ Gary F. Traynor
                                       Justice

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