Case ID: ad_98/html/0316-01.html
Source: Caselaw Access Project
Author: {"author": "Per Curiam :", "license": "Public Domain", "url": "https://static.case.law/"}
Date Created: 2024-08-24T03:29:51.129683

Laura B. Bruns, Appellant, v. The Brooklyn Citizen, Respondent.
    
      Libel — amendment of an answer by setting up the defense of justification — costs imposed.
    
    After the trial of an action of libel, which has resulted in a disagreement of the jury, the court has power to permit the defendant to amend his answer by setting up the defense of justification, but should, as a condition of granting such permission, require the defendant to pay the costs of the action up to the time of the allowance of the amendment.
    Appeal by the plaintiff, Laura B. Bruns, from an order of the Supreme Court, made at the Kings County Special Term and entered in the office of the clerk of the county of Kings on the 7th day of June,, 1904, granting the defendant’s motion for leave to serve an amended answer to the plaintiff’s complaint.
    
      Justin S. Galland, for the appellant.
    
      Henry H. Heistad, for the respondent.
   Per Curiam :

The action is for libel, and the answer which raised the issues presented upon the first trial, which resulted in a disagreement of the jury, did not plead justification. Subsequent to the trial the defendant made a motion for leave to serve an amended answer setting up justification ; the court granted the motion, but imposed no terms as a condition. The plaintiff appeals from the order.

We think that the learned court at Special Term did not abuse its discretion in permitting the defendant to present the new issue, but terms should have been imposed. It is the uniform practice that such an amendment will be granted only upon payment of the costs of the action antecedent to the granting of the application. (Thilemann v. Mayor, 71 App. Div. 595; Lindblad v. Lynde, 81 id. 603 ; McEntyre v. Tucker, 40 id. 444; Bates v. Salt Springs National Bank, 43 id. 321.)

The order should be modified in this particular, and as modified affirmed, without costs of this appeal.

All concurred.

Order modified by inserting a provision that the defendant pay costs incurred at the time of the motion as a condition of serving an amended answer, and as so modified affirmed, without costs of this appeal.