Amendment of caption is allowable

Amendment of Caption is Allowable: When Corporate Name Errors Don’t Derail Your Case

In New York civil litigation, technical errors in pleadings can sometimes create procedural hurdles that threaten otherwise valid claims. One common issue arises when a plaintiff corporation is misnamed in the caption of a lawsuit. The question becomes: can such errors be corrected, or do they provide grounds for dismissal?

A recent Appellate Term decision provides valuable guidance on this procedural matter, demonstrating that courts will generally allow caption amendments when the correct party is before the court but operating under a defective name. This ruling is particularly relevant for attorneys handling procedural corrections in complex litigation where corporate entities may have variations in their formal legal names.

Jason Tenenbaum’s Analysis:

Orthopaedic Specialists of Greater NY, P.C. v Kemper Independence Ins. Co., 2014 NY Slip Op 51683(U)(App. Term 1st Dept. 2014)

“Defendant’s motion to dismiss the complaint was properly denied and the cross motion to amend the caption of the summons and complaint to designate plaintiff as “Orthopaedic Specialists of Greater New York, P.C. a/a/o Nancy Goris,” was properly granted. Plaintiff established that “the right party plaintiff in court but under a defective name” (Covino v Alside Aluminum Supply Co., 42 AD2d 77, 80 ) and defendant failed to establish any prejudice from the misnomer. Thus, plaintiff was properly permitted to amend the caption to reflect its true name (see CPLR 2001; Unique Laundry Corp. v. Hudson Park NY LLC, 55 AD3d 382 ). Nor has defendant demonstrated that discovery on the issue of plaintiff’s corporate name is material and necessary to its defense of this action.”

I am unsure what the purpose of the appeal was. Did plaintiff actually plead another corporation? Assuming they did, the SOL expire (thus allowing a dismissal to effectively be with prejudice?)

Unsure.

Key Takeaway

The Appellate Term established that caption amendments are permissible when the correct party is before the court under a defective name, provided the defendant cannot demonstrate actual prejudice from the misnomer. This decision reinforces CPLR 2001’s liberal amendment policy and protects plaintiffs from dismissal based on technical naming errors that don’t affect the substance of their claims.

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• Form defects can be fixed in reply papers under New York procedure
• Single Motion Rule and technical defects in New York litigation
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• New York No-Fault Insurance Law

Legal Update (February 2026): Since this 2014 post, CPLR 2001 and related procedural rules governing caption amendments may have been subject to amendments or judicial interpretations that could affect the standards for correcting corporate name errors in pleadings. Practitioners should verify current CPLR provisions and recent case law to ensure compliance with any updated procedural requirements for caption amendments.