Commissioners of State Insurance v. Service Unlimited, USA, Inc.

Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York

Commissioners of State Insurance v. Service Unlimited, USA, Inc.

50 A.D.3d 1085, 857 N.Y.S.2d 230

CourtAppellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York

DecidedApril 29, 2008

StatusPublished

Cited by4 cases

This text of 50 A.D.3d 1085 (Commissioners of State Insurance v. Service Unlimited, USA, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Commissioners of State Insurance v. Service Unlimited, USA, Inc., 50 A.D.3d 1085, 857 N.Y.S.2d 230 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2008).

Pincite

Opinion

In an action to recover unpaid premiums for a workers’ compensation insurance policy, the defendant appeals, as limited by its brief, from so much of an order of the Supreme Court, Westchester County (Nicolai, J.), entered March 21, 2007, as granted the plaintiffs motion for leave to amend the complaint to increase the ad damnum clause, and denied that branch of its cross motion which was to dismiss the complaint.

Ordered that the order is affirmed insofar as appealed from, with costs.

The Supreme Court properly granted the plaintiffs motion for leave to amend the complaint to increase the ad damnum clause. Pursuant to CPLR 3025 (b), a court shall “freely” grant a party leave to amend a pleading “upon such terms as may be just.” In general, motions for leave to amend a pleading should be granted unless the proposed amendment is “palpably insufficient or patently devoid of merit, or where the delay in seeking the amendment would cause prejudice or surprise” (Lucido v Mancuso, 49 AD3d 220, 229 [2008]; see Trataros Constr., Inc. v New York City School Constr. Auth., 46 AD3d 874 [2007]; G.K. Alan Assoc., Inc. v Lazzari, 44 AD3d 95, 99 [2007]). More specifically, a motion for leave to amend the complaint to increase the ad damnum clause made prior to trial is permissible where there is no prejudice to the opposing party (see Loomis v Civetta Corinno Constr. Corp., 54 NY2d 18, 23 [1981]; Matter of Cohn, 46 AD3d 680, 681 [2007]). Here, the proposed amendment is not palpably insufficient or patently devoid of merit, and the defendant has failed to establish any prejudice. While the amended ad damnum clause will expose the defendant to additional liability, this fact, standing alone, does not amount to prejudice (see RCLA, LLC v 50-09 Realty, LLC, 48 AD3d 538 [2008]; Pansini Stone Setting, Inc. v Crow & Sutton Assoc., Inc., 46 AD3d 784, 786 [2007]).

The defendant’s remaining contention is without merit. Miller, J.P., Dillon, McCarthy and Chambers, JJ., concur.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

In an action to recover unpaid premiums for a workers’ compensation insurance policy, the defendant appeals, as limited by its brief, from so much of an order of the Supreme Court, Westchester County (Nicolai, J.), entered March 21, 2007, as granted the plaintiffs motion for leave to amend the complaint to increase the ad damnum clause, and denied that branch of its cross motion which was to dismiss the complaint.

Ordered that the order is affirmed insofar as appealed from, with costs.

The Supreme Court properly granted the plaintiffs motion for leave to amend the complaint to increase the ad damnum clause. Pursuant to CPLR 3025 (b), a court shall “freely” grant a party leave to amend a pleading “upon such terms as may be just.” In general, motions for leave to amend a pleading should be granted unless the proposed amendment is “palpably insufficient or patently devoid of merit, or where the delay in seeking the amendment would cause prejudice or surprise” (Lucido v Mancuso, 49 AD3d 220, 229 [2008]; see Trataros Constr., Inc. v New York City School Constr. Auth., 46 AD3d 874 [2007]; G.K. Alan Assoc., Inc. v Lazzari, 44 AD3d 95, 99 [2007]). More specifically, a motion for leave to amend the complaint to increase the ad damnum clause made prior to trial is permissible where there is no prejudice to the opposing party (see Loomis v Civetta Corinno Constr. Corp., 54 NY2d 18, 23 [1981]; Matter of Cohn, 46 AD3d 680, 681 [2007]). Here, the proposed amendment is not palpably insufficient or patently devoid of merit, and the defendant has failed to establish any prejudice. While the amended ad damnum clause will expose the defendant to additional liability, this fact, standing alone, does not amount to prejudice (see RCLA, LLC v 50-09 Realty, LLC, 48 AD3d 538 [2008]; Pansini Stone Setting, Inc. v Crow & Sutton Assoc., Inc., 46 AD3d 784, 786 [2007]).

The defendant’s remaining contention is without merit. Miller, J.P., Dillon, McCarthy and Chambers, JJ., concur.

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)

50 A.D.3d 1085, 857 N.Y.S.2d 230, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commissioners-of-state-insurance-v-service-unlimited-usa-inc-nyappdiv-2008.

Opinion

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack