It is well-settled that leave to amend a pleading is to be freely granted. Leave may be denied, however, if the proposed amendment is palpably insufficient or patently devoid of merit, or if it would cause undue prejudice to a party. Amendments that seek to add a time-barred claim or party will be found to be patently devoid of merit, unless the untimeliness can be saved by application of the relation-back doctrine.