Amendment of Summons and Complaint after the Statute of Limitations Has Run

In affirming the amendment of a summons and complaint, (apparently) after the running of the statute of limitations, the Second Department explained the relevant law:

CPLR 305(c) authorizes the court, in its discretion, to “allow any summons or proof of service of a summons to be amended, if a substantial right of a party against whom the summons issued is not prejudiced.” Where the motion is to cure “a misnomer in the description of a party defendant,” it should be granted even after the statute of limitations has run where “(1) there is evidence that the correct defendant (misnamed in the original process) has in fact been properly served, and (2) the correct defendant would not be prejudiced by granting the amendment sought” … . “Such amendments are permitted where the correct party defendant has been served with process, but under a misnomer, and where the misnomer could not possibly have misled the defendant concerning who it was that the plaintiff was in fact seeking to sue” … . “However, while CPLR 305(c) may be utilized to correct the name of an existing defendant . . . it cannot be used by a party as a device to add or substitute a party defendant'” … , and it may not be used “to proceed against an entirely new defendant, who was not served, after the expiration of the statute of limitations” … . Sanders v 230fa, LLC, 2015 NY Slip Op 02107, 2nd Dept 3-18-15