“No evidentiary showing of merit is required under CPLR 3025(b)”

1259 Lincoln Place Corp. v Bank of N.Y., 2018 NY Slip Op 02177 [2d Dept 2018]

Here, the court denied leave to amend the answer based upon its determination that the defendant had failed to lay a proper foundation, under the business records exception to the hearsay rule, for the admission of a document which allegedly demonstrated that the defendant had paid real estate taxes on the subject property. However, "[n]o evidentiary showing of merit is required under CPLR 3025(b)" (Lucido v Mancuso, 49 AD3d at 229). Since the defendant's proposed counterclaim was not palpably insufficient or patently devoid of merit, and since no prejudice or surprise would result from granting leave to amend the answer, the branch of the defendant's cross motion seeking that relief should have been granted.