Written opposition - the key to beating people on procedural defects

Perhaps one of the most obnoxious things in this area of law is that firms attempt to "amplify" their respective positions through oral argument. This occurs in two scenarios: (1) A party orally argues a motion without written opposition; and (2) A party amplifies their position during oral argument through raising new objections not raised in their papers.

Dave Barshay said it best in an analogous situation: "Unobjected to hearsay is competent evidence"

Similarly, unobjected to procedural defects render incompetent evidence competent. There are certain courts that routinely entertain these type of oral objections.

With that in mind, let us look at:

Complete Orthopedic Supplies, Inc. v State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co.
2009 NYSlipOp 29014 (App. Term 2d Dept. 2009)

The Civil Court held that defendant failed to establish that its denial of claim forms were timely mailed because the notary public's jurat, on the affidavits of mailing executed by defendant's claims support services supervisor and the president of the courier service utilized by defendant, did not indicate the year in which the affidavits were signed. However, this technical [*2]defect is of the type which a court should disregard since it does not prejudice a substantial right of a party, particularly, where as here, plaintiff raised no objection thereto.

I shall say no more.