Case Name: American Theatre for the Performing Arts, Inc., Appellant, v. Consolidated Credit Corporation et al., Respondents
Court: New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 2007-11-29
Citations: 45 A.D.3d 506
Docket Number: 
Parties: American Theatre for the Performing Arts, Inc., Appellant, v Consolidated Credit Corporation et al., Respondents.
Judges: 
Reporter: Appellate Division Reports
Volume: 45
Pages: 506–506

Head Matter:
American Theatre for the Performing Arts, Inc., Appellant, v Consolidated Credit Corporation et al., Respondents.
[846 NYS2d 60]

Opinion:
Order, Supreme Court, New York County (Karla Moskowitz, J), entered May 26, 2006, which, to the extent appealable and as limited by plaintiffs brief, denied plaintiffs motion for renewal of a prior order that had denied leave to serve an amended complaint, unanimously affirmed, with costs.
A request to amend a pleading, regardless of the statutory imperative that it be freely granted (CPLR 3025 [b]), requires an examination of the underlying merit to determine if there is evidentiary proof that could be considered on a motion for summary judgment (Nab-Tem Constructors v City of New York, 123 AD2d 571, 572 [1986]). Affirmance is warranted here because there is no showing of merit to the amended pleadings. None of the proposed additional parties was a signatory to the original contract; the fraud claim is simply a recast breach-of-contract claim; and the civil-conspiracy-to-commit-fraud claim fails because of the lack of viability for the fraud claim. Concur— Tom, J.P., Saxe, Friedman, Williams and Buckley, JJ.