Firefly Music Festival has been Delaware’s premier music festival since its inception in July 2012. The 2021 dates are Thursday, September 23rd through Sunday, September 26th. People from all over the east coast and beyond will attend the festival at The Woodlands in Dover, Delaware located behind Dover International Speedway and Dover Downs Hotel & Casino. Some of this year’s headliners are Billie Elish, the Killers, tame Impala, and Lizzo For a complete list of artists and lineup, you can visit the official website by clicking here. During this year’s 3 day event, the Woodlands will become the undisputed center […]
You may try your best to be a careful driver, but sometimes accidents occur. If you’re in a traffic accident in Delaware and are accused of reckless driving that has caused the accident, it is important that you take steps to protect yourself. There are several ways you can gather evidence at the accident scene that can later help you and your criminal defense attorney build the best defense against the charges that may face you.
Has COVID-19 impacted the court system in Sussex County, Delaware? It is an unquestionable fact that the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has had an impact on the day to day lives of U.S. citizens. Dealing with DUI charges in a normal year is a lengthy, complicated, and often stressful process to go through. Our clients are usually scared, embarrassed, and want it to go away as quickly as possible. The daily COVID updates and new restrictions put in place, have caused our clients to wonder how will this affect my DUI case? Anyone with a conviction of Driving Under the […]
Police records have indicated that on October 31, crime rates tend to spike, more so than any other holiday. No matter if you are after Tricks or Treats, no one wants to have their Halloween ruined by an arrest and criminal charges. Our Delaware criminal defense attorney shares some ways that you can avoid getting into trouble this Halloween. How Can You Prevent Getting Criminal Charges On Halloween? Don’t Drink and Drive. Holidays seem to attract drunk driving, and Halloween is no exception. If you decide to drink at a Halloween party, make sure you have a ride home or a […]
So far we have talked about the Justice of the Peace Courts and Family Court. So now let’s talk about the Court of Common Pleas – sometimes called CCP. The Court of Common Pleas has both civil and criminal jurisdiction. In civil cases, cases with an amount in controversy up to 50,000 can be heard. CCP also handles change of name petitions, habitual motor vehicle hearings and appeals from DMV and JP proceedings. In civil matters like these, there are no jury trials. In criminal cases, CCP has jurisdiction over all misdemeanors except certain drug offenses, all criminal motor vehicle offenses, preliminary […]
We want to give everyone a baseline knowledge of the main courts in Delaware and the types of cases that each court hears because almost everyone has to deal with a court at some point in their lives. The main courts in Delaware are the JP courts, Family Court, Court of Common Pleas, Superior Court, Chancery Court, and the Supreme Court. Justice of Peace Court JP Court has jurisdiction in civil cases worth 15,000 or less, some criminal misdemeanors, most motor vehicle violations (except felonies) and all landlord/tenant matters. There are no jury trials in JP Court, and you can […]
What happens in Superior Court? Superior Court has statewide original jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases except for equity cases (which is Chancery Court) and domestic relations matters (which is Family Court) For criminal matters, Superior Court has exclusive jurisdiction over all felonies (except those involving juveniles which are heard in Family Court). For civil matters, the court has jurisdiction in cases in value over 50,000. So typically personal injury and medical malpractice cases are handled in the Superior Court. Superior Court also serves as an intermediate appellate court from over 50 administrative agencies, the Court of Common Pleas, and […]
The U.S. Supreme Court changes the law on DUI blood tests in Delaware DUI cases. The United States Supreme Court appears to have modified its position on whether a police officer needs to obtain a warrant before subjecting a Defendant to a blood test in DUI cases. Previously, the Supreme Court decided in Schmerber v. California, that it was permissible to obtain a DUI blood test without a warrant. Where an officer believed that he was facing an emergency situation and the delay caused by getting a warrant threatened the destruction of evidence, a police officer was permitted to take […]
DRE = Drug Recognition Experts There is a new trend in prosecuting drug-related DUI cases. That is the Drug Recognition Expert. The State of Delaware is now occasionally using Drug Recognition Experts in DUI cases. As of the writing of this article, it is unclear what Delaware’s approach to Drug Recognition Experts will be. The purpose of a Drug Recognition Expert is to a) determine whether a suspect is impaired b) determine whether the suspect is impaired because of a medical condition or the use of drugs, and c) If impaired because of drugs, what type of drugs are causing […]
Even though it won’t be the same this year because of the Covid-19 restrictions, Memorial Day weekend still comes with thoughts of the sand, sunburns, the boardwalk, social distancing, the smell of the ocean, and amazing foods. Along with all of the great things that are associated with our Sussex county beaches, there are some things you want to avoid. Traffic Tickets, DUI’s Disorderly Conduct, and Noise complaints are just a few things that could ruin your trip to our great beaches You will want to find a Criminal Lawyer While your friendly real estate lawyer may be a great […]
