Opinion ID: 2604863
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: amendment to the complaint

Text: Local 690 alleges error because the trial court allowed Caruso to add a defamation claim 5 years 4 months after he had filed his original complaint. [2] Amendments to pleadings are governed by CR 15(a) which provides, in pertinent part, that a party may amend his pleading only by leave of court ... and leave shall be freely given when justice so requires. The purpose of pleadings is to facilitate a proper decision on the merits, Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 48, 2 L.Ed.2d 80, 78 S.Ct. 99 (1957), and not to erect formal and burdensome impediments to the litigation process. Rule 15 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, from which CR 15 was taken, was designed to facilitate the amendment of pleadings except where prejudice to the opposing party would result. United States v. Hougham, 364 U.S. 310, 316, 5 L.Ed.2d 8, 81 S.Ct. 13 (1960). CR 15 was designed to facilitate the same ends. Several factors are usually used as criteria by trial courts to determine the propriety of a motion for leave to amend. Petitioner asserts that one of those factors alone, undue delay in making the motion, requires that we reverse the trial court's decision to allow the amendment. We have held that undue delay on the part of the movant in proposing the amendment constitutes grounds to deny a motion to amend only where such delay works undue hardship or prejudice upon the opposing party. Appliance Buyers Credit Corp. v. Upton, 65 Wn.2d 793, 800, 399 P.2d 587 (1965). This holding is in accord with the holding of many courts that delay, excusable or not, in and of itself is not sufficient reason to deny the motion. See, e.g., Cornell & Co. v. Occupational Safety & Health Review Comm'n, 573 F.2d 820, 823 (3d Cir.1978); Howey v. United States, 481 F.2d 1187, 1191 (9th Cir.1973); Hanson v. Hunt Oil Co., 398 F.2d 578 (8th Cir.1968); United States v. IBM Corp., 66 F.R.D. 223 (S.D.N.Y. 1975); Fli-Fab, Inc. v. United States, 16 F.R.D. 553 (D.R.I. 1954). See also 6 C. Wright & A. Miller, Federal Practice § 1488 (1971). The touchstone for denial of an amendment is the prejudice such amendment would cause the nonmoving party. See, e.g., Zenith Radio Corp. v. Hazeltine Research, Inc., 401 U.S. 321, 330-31, 28 L.Ed.2d 77, 91 S.Ct. 795 (1971); Howey v. United States, supra ; Cornell & Co. v. Occupational Safety & Health Review Comm'n, supra ; Wright & Miller, supra . Although 5 years 4 months is a long period of time and as a practical matter the risk of prejudice increases with time, the delay alone in the instant case does not rise to the level of prejudice required. Other courts have allowed amendments to complaints made 5 or 6 years after the filing of the original complaint. See, e.g., Howey v. United States, supra ; United States v. IBM Corp., supra . The original complaint in the instant case contained a paragraph which asserted that the articles were false and were published by [petitioner] with knowledge of their falsity or with reckless disregard for their truth or falsity  a phrase commonly used in and associated with defamation actions. This paragraph was undoubtedly included in anticipation of petitioner's defense that the articles were privileged. As noted in Calbom v. Knudtzon, 65 Wn.2d 157, 396 P.2d 148 (1964), defamation is not an essential element of the tort of business interference but may be shown for the bearing it has upon a defense of privilege. Accordingly, petitioner had notice of a possible issue of defamation at the time of the original complaint. In opposing the motion for leave to amend, petitioner's attorney filed an affidavit that petitioner would suffer undue prejudice because of the lack of prior knowledge of this claim so as to prepare the defense, contact witnesses and otherwise secure evidence. Petitioner did not set forth any specific objections other than it might be unable to contact some union officials. However, petitioner did not relate this objection to any actual prejudice and never asserted that respondent's delay was occasioned by bad faith. The trial court continued the trial to alleviate the surprise and enable petitioner to prepare a defense and contact witnesses. From the record before us it does not appear that petitioner engaged in or even attempted any new discovery prior to the new trial date. Petitioner simply failed to present any evidence of actual prejudice to the trial court, or to us. A trial court's action in passing on a motion for leave to amend will not be disturbed on appeal except for a manifest abuse of discretion or a failure to exercise discretion. Appliance Buyers Credit Corp. v. Upton, supra ; Foman v. Davis, 371 U.S. 178, 9 L.Ed.2d 222, 83 S.Ct. 227 (1962). We find no abuse. Petitioner argues that in any event the amendment should not relate back to the date of the original complaint and thus the defamation action must be dismissed under the statute of limitations. In support of this argument petitioner relies solely on Ennis v. Ring, 49 Wn.2d 284, 300 P.2d 773 (1956), which held that an amendment will not relate back if it adds a new cause of action or changes the theory of the pleading. That case was decided prior to the adoption of the civil court rule governing relation back, CR 15(c). CR 15(c), correctly relied on by the trial court, provides in part that an amendment relates back when the cause asserted in the amended pleading arose out of the conduct, transaction, or occurrence set forth or attempted to be set forth in the original pleading. This rule is based on the premise that once litigation involving particular conduct has been instituted, the parties are not entitled to the protection of the statute of limitations against the later assertion by amendment of claims that arise out of the same conduct as set forth in the original pleading. Wright & Miller, supra .