PRETRIAL ADJUDICATION
...Pleading
......Amendments
.........Court's Permission Not Req’d
4 Cards On This Topic:

Any pleading may be amended once as matter of right without court permission.

Code Civ. Proc. §472, permitting party to amend pleading once without leave, prevails over more specific req. of Code Civ. Proc. §473, which requires ct. permission to add new parties.

Right to amend answer as matter of course [w/out court permission] limited to time that demurrer undecided or, if no demurrer filed, time in which demurrer might have been filed.

Code Civ. Proc. 472 right to amend answer once "as of course" [without court permission] limited to time within which P entitled to demur to answer.