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“Law of the Case” Does Not Bind Appellate Courts

In a medical malpractice action, plaintiff had moved to amend her complaint to add a cause of action for wrongful death and the motion was denied.  There was a mistrial.  Before the second trial, plaintiff again moved to amend her complaint.  The motion was denied because the first denial was deemed the law of the case.  In determining the motion to amend should have been allowed, the Second Department noted that the law of the case doctrine does not apply to appellate courts:

The doctrine of the law of the case does not bind appellate courts, and thus, this Court is not bound by the law of the case established by the prior determination …. Accordingly, this Court is free to consider that branch of the plaintiff’s motion which was for leave to amend the complaint on the merits …. Under the circumstances presented here, we conclude that leave to amend the pleading should be permitted.

Generally, leave to amend a pleading should be freely given when there is no significant prejudice or surprise to the opposing party and where the evidence submitted in support of the motion indicates that the proposed amendment may have merit (see CPLR 3025[b]…). Here, in the aftermath of the court’s granting of a mistrial, Mercy [defendant] failed to allege, much less show, surprise or prejudice resulting from the plaintiff’s delay in asserting the wrongful death cause of action against it … . Moreover, the proposed amended complaint, which sufficiently alleged that Mercy’s negligence caused the decedent to suffer injuries and ultimately death, was neither “palpably insufficient nor patently devoid of merit” … .   Hothan v Mercy Med Ctr, 2013 NY Slip Op 02541, 2011-10562, Index No 14345/06, 2nd Dept, 4-17-13

 

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