Layne

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE

SHAWANA LAYNE (f/k/a Shawana § Singleton) as guardian ad litem and next § friend to FRANK LEE LAYNE, JR., § No. 414, 2015 § Plaintiff Below- § Appellant, § § Court Below—Superior Court v. § of the State of Delaware, § in and for New Castle County GAVILON GRAIN, LLC (d/b/a Peavey § C.A. No. N12C-12-057 Company), and JAIR CABRERA, § § Defendants Below- § Appellees. §

Submitted: August 17, 2015 Decided: August 27, 2015

Before STRINE, Chief Justice; HOLLAND, and SEITZ, Justices.

ORDER

This 27th day of August 2015, it appears to the Court that:

(1) The plaintiff-appellant, Shawana Layne as guardian ad litem and next friend to Frank Lee Layne, Jr. (“Layne”), has petitioned this Court under Supreme Court Rule 42 to accept an appeal from an interlocutory order of the Superior Court dated July 10, 2015, granting a motion for summary judgment filed by Gavilon Grain, LLC (“Gavilon”) and Jair Cabrera. The Superior Court’s opinion determined that Layne was a special employee of Gavilon and, therefore, Layne’s personal injury claims were *2 barred by the exclusivity provision of the Delaware Workers’ Compensation Act.

(2) Layne filed the application for certification to take an interlocutory appeal in the Superior Court on July 17, 2015. The Superior Court denied the certification application on August 13, 2015. Although the Superior Court analyzed Layne’s application for certification under the former version of Supreme Court Rule 42, which was amended effective May 15, 2015, it engaged in a thoughtful analysis under the old version that remains relevant and we agree with its recommendation that certification should be denied. As the Superior Court noted, its determination that Layne was a special employee of Gavilon applied legal tests that are set out in prior decisions of this Court.1 Moreover, interlocutory review of the Superior Court’s ruling will not substantially reduce the pending litigation or otherwise serve the considerations of justice.2

(3) Applications for interlocutory review are addressed to the sound discretion of this Court. In the exercise of its discretion, this Court

1 See Porter v. Pathfinder Services, Inc., 683 A.2d 40 (Del. 1996); Lester C. Newton Trucking Co. v. Neal, 204 A.2d 393 (Del. 1964). 2 Del. Supr. Ct. R. 42(b)(iii)(G)-(H) (effective May 15, 2015).

has concluded that the application for interlocutory review does not meet the requirements of Supreme Court Rule 42(b) and should be refused.

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the interlocutory appeal is REFUSED.3

BY THE COURT: /s/ Leo E. Strine, Jr. Chief Justice

3 The Court is issuing a contemporaneous order refusing the interlocutory appeal filed in a companion case, Discover Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co. v. Gavilon Grain, LLC, No. 421, 2015.