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APPELLANT PHYSICIAN’S ASSISTANT HAD LEFT DEFENDANT-PRACTICE AT THE TIME THE MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ACTION WAS BROUGHT AGAINST THE PRACTICE; THE PLAINTIFFS DID NOT DEMONSTRATE APPELLANT HAD TIMELY NOTICE OF THE SUIT; THEREFORE THE RELATION-BACK DOCTRINE DID NOT SUPPORT THE MOTION TO ADD THE APPELLANT AS A DEFENDANT AFTER THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS HAD RUN (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the motion to amend the complaint to add appellant, a physician’s assistant, to this medical malpractice action should not have been granted. The statute of limitations has run and the relation-back theory was not supported by evidence appellant had timely notice of the suit. Appellant had stopped working for defendant practice at the time the suit was commenced:

“In order for a claim asserted against a new defendant to relate back to the date the claim was filed against another defendant, the plaintiffs must establish that (1) both claims arose out of [the] same conduct, transaction, or occurrence; (2) the new defendant is united in interest with the original defendant, and by reason of that relationship can be charged with notice of the institution of the action such that he [or she] will not be prejudiced in maintaining his [or her] defense on the merits; and (3) the new defendant knew or should have known that, but for a mistake by the plaintiffs as to the identity of the proper parties, the action would have been brought against him [or her] as well” … . “The linchpin of the relation-back doctrine is whether the new defendant had notice within the applicable limitations period” … .

Here, the plaintiffs failed to meet their burden as to the third prong of the relation-back doctrine. The record establishes that the appellant was no longer working for the practice at the time of the commencement of the action, and there is no evidence that she had actual or constructive knowledge within the limitations period of the commencement of the action … . Dixon v Jones, 2023 NY Slip Op 03336, Second Dept 6-21-23

Practice Point: To add a defendant to a complaint after the statute of limitations has run under the relation-back doctrine, plaintiff must demonstrate the party to be added had timely notice of the suit, not the case here.

 

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