Opinion ID: 1406132
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Amendment of Bunch's Answer

Text: Lee argues the trial court erred in allowing Bunch to amend his answer to include the affirmative defense of comparative negligence. We disagree. At a pre-trial hearing, the trial court ruled that Bunch would be permitted to introduce evidence of Lee's alcohol consumption. On the second day of trial and after Lee's testimony, Bunch moved to amend his answer to assert the affirmative defense of comparative negligence. The trial court later heard arguments on the motion and then granted the motion to amend, citing a lack of prejudice to the plaintiffs. The failure to plead an affirmative defense is deemed a waiver of the right to assert it. Whitehead v. State, 352 S.C. 215, 220, 574 S.E.2d 200, 202 (2002). Rule 15(b), SCRCP, provides an exception to the waiver rule by permitting a party to amend his pleadings to conform to the evidence. The rule provides: When issues not raised by the pleadings are tried by express or implied consent of the parties, they shall be treated in all respects as if they had been raised in the pleadings ... If evidence is objected to at the trial on the ground that it is not within the issues made by the pleadings, the court may allow the pleadings to be amended and shall do so freely when the presentation of the merits of the action will be subserved thereby and the objecting party fails to satisfy the court that the admission of such evidence would prejudice him in maintaining his action or defense upon the merits ... Rule 15(b), SCRCP. The circuit court is to freely grant leave to amend when justice requires, and there is no prejudice to any other party. Harvey v. Strickland, 350 S.C. 303, 313, 566 S.E.2d 529, 535 (2002). A motion to amend is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial judge, and the party opposing the motion has the burden of establishing prejudice. Id. Amendments to conform to the proof should be liberally allowed when no prejudice to the opposing party will result. Id. At trial, the degree of Lee's fault clearly became an issue in this case. Although Lee did not consent to the introduction of alcohol into the case, Lee never objected to the evidence of his speeding nor his driving left of center. Thus, comparative negligence was tried by implied consent because the parties addressed an issue not raised in the pleadings that later entered the case. See Sunvillas Homeowners Assn., Inc. v. Square D. Co., 301 S.C. 330, 335, 391 S.E.2d 868, 871 (Ct.App. 1990); Fraternal Order of Police v. S.C. Dept. of Revenue, 352 S.C. 420, 435, 574 S.E.2d 717, 725 (2002) (In order to be tried by implied consent, the issue must have been discussed extensively at trial.). The question then becomes whether Lee suffered any prejudice by allowing Bunch to amend his answer to include comparative negligence. Lee argues that even if we find he consented to a trial on comparative negligence, he was still prejudiced by the amendment. We disagree. The prejudice that would warrant denial of a motion to amend the pleadings is a lack of notice that a new issue is to be tried and a lack of opportunity to refute it. Collins Entertainment, Inc. v. White, 363 S.C. 546, 562, 611 S.E.2d 262, 270 (Ct.App.2005). Prejudice occurs when the amendment states a new defense which would require the opposing party to introduce additional or different evidence to prevail in the amended action. Ball v. Canadian Am. Exp. Co., 314 S.C. 272, 275, 442 S.E.2d 620, 622 (Ct.App.1994). Although the issue of comparative negligence was not specifically part of the case until after Lee presented his case, there is no indication that Lee would have presented additional or different evidence especially geared towards comparative negligence. First, Lee was well aware that alcohol would be an issue in the case by virtue of the trial court's pre-trial hearing, and he undoubtedly attempted to present a case that minimized the effect his alcohol consumption might have in assigning fault. Secondly, Lee claims that he was not allowed to question two eyewitnesses, Greg Jones and Chong Abernathy, concerning excessive speed and driving left of the center line because they had been released from their subpoenas before Bunch amended his answer. However, both Jones and Abernathy testified extensively as to where Bunch and Lee were situated at the time of the accident, and Abernathy was the first witness to mention Lee's speeding. Finally, Lee presented his own expert witness in rebuttal to counter Bunch's expert witnesses. Accordingly, Lee has failed to prove prejudice by the amendment of Bunch's answer to include the defense of comparative negligence.