Plaintiff’s Motion to Amend Complaint GRANTED. Plaintiff shall have five days from service of the Court’s final ruling to file a First Amended Complaint.
Under Code of Civil Procedure section 473(a)(1), amendments are left to the sound discretion of the trial court. Judicial policy favors amendment to allow resolution of all potential claims and disputes between parties, so such motions are examined liberally. Nestlé v. Santa Monica (1972) 6 Cal.3d 920, 939. As long as the motion is “timely” and will not prejudice a party, it is normally an abuse of discretion to refuse to allow amendment if the denial will deprive a party of a meritorious claim or defense. Morgan v. Superior Court (1959) 172 Cal.App.2d 527, 530; Mabie v. Hyatt (1998) 61 Cal.App.4th 581, 596.
Normally delay alone is not a sufficient reason to deny amendment, unless the delay has resulted in prejudice to another party. Hirsa v. Superior Court (Vickers) (1981) 118 Cal.App.3d 486, 490. Prejudice exists where the amendment