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20 Jones & S. 14

Stern v. Knapp

The Superior Court of New York City · decided 1885-03-30

The application was based on an affidavit, the pleadings in the case, and a notice of motion, which merely asked “for an order permitting the plaintiff to amend his complaint herein.”

Decided 1885-03-30

By the Court.—Ingraham, J.

¶1Without determining whether an order refusing to allow a party to amend the complaint is appealable, we think the order appealed from should be affirmed.

¶2The application to amend was made upon the affidavit of the plaintiff and the pleadings in the action. No amended complaint as proposed by the plaintiff was served with the papers on which the motion was made, nor presented to the court on the argument. The court below was compelled to spell out, from the affidavit, the nature and extent of the proposed amendment. -

¶3In applications of this kind, addressed to the discretion of the court, it is the duty of the court to determine whether the application is made in good faith, and to refuse to allow a pleading to be amended if it appears that. the pleading, as amended, would be clearly frivolous, or in violation of any of the settled rules of pleading. This *16examination can not be made, unless the court has before it the pleading as it is proposed to be amended ; and as the plaintiff did not, in this case, present a complaint amended as he proposed, the court below was right in refusing to entertain the application.

¶4For the reason above stated, and without examining the other objections raised by the respondent, we think the order appealed from should be affirmed, with ten dollars costs and disbursements.

¶5Sedgwick, Oh. J., concurred.

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