Case Name: Stephen Brown against Lewis Collins
Court: South Carolina Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: South Carolina
Decision Date: 1801
Citations: 2 Bay 326
Docket Number: 
Parties: Stephen Brown against Lewis Collins.
Judges: All the Judges present.
Reporter: South Carolina Law Reports
Volume: 2
Pages: 326–326

Head Matter:
Stephen Brown against Lewis Collins.
Columbia District,
1801.
A defendant is never to be called upon to admit or deny a debt on oath upon a summary process, nor has the plaintiff a right to resort to equitable principles, ■where lie has a plain remedy at common law.
MOTION to set aside a nonsuit.
This was a case from Camden, on a summary process, in which the defendant had been called upon by Mr. Mathis, the plaintiff’s attorney, to declare on oath, whether he owed the debt in question, or not. And resting on what he supposed to be the rule under the authority of Dillon and M-Cue's case, (ante, p. 280.) was not prepared with any other kind of evidence to support his demand. Upon which, the presiding Judge (Johnson) ordered the plaintiff to be non-suited. This was therefore a motion to set aside this nonsuit.

Opinion:
Sed per Curiam,
unanimously, the plaintiff's attorney has mistaken the authority of the case of Dillon and MLCue entirely. In that case it was determined, that if the defendant wanted the benefit of the plaintiff's oath, (if he had no other testimony to support his defence,) he might call upon the plaintiff to answer on oath, in nature of a cross-bill in equity, to any necessary point, upon a regular notice in writing for that purpose, and stating the points he meant to examine him upon; but it was never contemplated by that decision, that a plaintiff had a right to call-upon a defendant in the first instance, to acknowledge or deny a debt or demand against him ; it would be contrary to every rule of the common law; and it is a well known maxim, that equitable principles are not to be resorted to, where a party has his plain remedy at common law.
Let the rule for setting aside the nonsuit be discharged, and the decision of the presiding judge stand confirmed.
All the Judges present.