Case Name: McCrane v. Moulton
Court: New York Superior Court
Jurisdiction: New York
Decision Date: 1851-05-10
Citations: 1 Sandf. 736
Docket Number: 
Parties: McCrane v. Moulton.
Judges: 
Reporter: Reports of cases argued and determined in the Superior Court of the city of New York
Volume: 3
Pages: 736–736

Head Matter:
McCrane v. Moulton.
A summons by which a suit is commenced, cannot be amended without leave of the court.
May 10, 1851.
In this and several other eases against the same defendant, the plaintiff’s attorney, discovering a mistake in the summons by which he commenced the suits, amended them as of course, and served them anew. The defendant moved, in each suit, to set aside the amended summons.
A. Mathews, for the defendant.
G. Woodman and G. Barstow, for the plaintiffs.

Opinion:
Mason, J.
(with the concurrence of all the justices.) A summons cannot be amended without leave of the court. Section 172 of the code, allowing a pleading to be once amended of course, does not apply to a summons, which is not a pleading, but pi'ocess. The power of amendment is in terms confined to the court by § 178.
The motion to set aside the amended summons in each case is granted without costs.