Court Opinion

ID: 9840790
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-20 14:05:14.605639+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T08:22:51.971291
License: Public Domain

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE

CAROL HUDSON,                                       )
                                                    )
                      Appellant/                    )
                      Claimant-Below,               )
                                                    )
       v.                                           )      C.A. No. K22A-11-002 NEP
                                                    )
                                                    )
BEEBE MEDICAL CENTER,                               )
                                                    )
                      Appellee/                     )
                      Employer-Below.               )

                                              ORDER

                                  Submitted: September 8, 2023
                                  Decided: September 19, 2023

       1. This matter is before the Court on Appellant Carol Hudson’s appeal from a
decision of the Industrial Accident Board. The Court has identified a jurisdictional
defect that neither party raised in its briefings.1

       2. This Court’s jurisdiction to review decisions of the Industrial Accident
Board is defined by statute.2 As relevant here, 19 Del. C. § 2349 provides that

1
  See Webster v. Brosman, 2019 WL 5579489, at *1 (Del. Super. Oct. 29, 2019) (“Because the
parties may not waive subject matter jurisdiction, the Court is independently obligated to ensure
that it has jurisdiction over the parties’ claims if any doubt exists.”); Christiana Care Health,
Servs., Inc. v. Luce, 2017 WL 1735361, at *1 (Del. Super. May 2, 2017) (raising sua sponte the
issue of the Court’s subject matter jurisdiction to hear an appeal from the Industrial Accident
Board).
2
  Kenol v. Johnny Janosik, Inc., 2011 WL 900588, at *2 (Del. Super. Mar. 15, 2011); see also 19
Del. C. §§ 2349–2350.
appeals must be filed in “the Superior Court for the county in which the injury
occurred . . . .” This requirement has been construed as jurisdictional.3

       3. The alleged injury in this case occurred in Sussex County,4 but the appeal
was filed in the Superior Court for Kent County.5

       4. The Court has provided the parties an opportunity to respond regarding the
jurisdictional issue, and both parties agree that this Court lacks jurisdiction to decide
this appeal, and that the matter should be heard by the Superior Court for Sussex
County.

       5. Where, as in this instance, a case has been filed in the Superior Court for
the wrong county, it can be transferred to the Superior Court for the correct county
pursuant to 10 Del. C. § 1902.6

       Accordingly, jurisdiction in this Court is hereby DENIED. Appellant will be
allowed 60 days to file a written election of transfer and otherwise satisfy the
procedural requirements of 10 Del. C. § 1902 so that the appeal may be transferred

3
  See Cooper v. Capitol Nursing, 2010 WL 3447705, at *1 (Del. Super. Aug. 31, 2010) (“Pursuant
to 19 Del C. § 2349, the proper jurisdiction for an appeal of an Industrial Accident Board decision
is in the county where the injury occurred.”); Irvin-Wright v. State, 2003 WL 21481004, at *3
(Del. Super. June 16, 2003) (concluding that “the Court also lacks subject matter jurisdiction in
accordance with Section 2349” because the appellant had “improperly filed her notice of appeal
with this Court instead of with the Superior Court of Sussex County”).
4
  See R. Tab 1, Claimant’s Pet. to Determine Compensation Due.
5
  R. Tab 13, Notice of Appeal.
6
  See Cooper, 2010 WL 3447705, at *1 (transferring an appeal from the Industrial Accident Board
from New Castle County to Sussex County pursuant to 10 Del. C. § 1902); Red Lobster v. Cole,
1998 WL 732955, at *1 (Del. Super. May 12, 1998) (transferring an Industrial Accident Board
appeal to Kent County); see also Family Court of Delaware v. Giles, 384 A.2d 623, 624–25 (Del.
1978) (holding that an appeal from the Equal Employment Review Board filed in the Superior
Court in the wrong county should have been transferred to the correct county pursuant to 10 Del.
C. § 1902 instead of dismissed).
                                                2
to the Superior Court for Sussex County. Should appellant fail to do so, the appeal
will be dismissed.7

      IT IS SO ORDERED.

NEP/tls
oc: Prothonotary
cc: James R. Donovan, Esquire - Via File & ServeXpress
     Keri L. Morris-Johnston, Esquire - Via File & ServeXpress

7
  See Cooper, 2010 WL 3447705, at *1 (explaining that the case would be transferred if the
appellant filed in compliance with 10 Del. C. § 1902, or the matter would be dismissed).
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