Case Name: Lewis Ciples vs. Administrator of Isaac Alexander, deceased
Court: Constitutional Court of South Carolina
Jurisdiction: South Carolina
Decision Date: 1816-11
Citations: 2 Tread 767
Docket Number: 
Parties: Lewis Ciples vs. Administrator of Isaac Alexander, deceased.
Judges: Justices Gantt andCoLcocK concurred.
Reporter: South Carolina Law Reports
Volume: 7
Pages: 767–768

Head Matter:
Columbia,
November Term, 1816
Lewis Ciples vs. Administrator of Isaac Alexander, deceased.
Summary Process on open Account.
Decree for defendant.
Motion to reverse the decree.
The ac-Tcnowl-edgments by an ad-ministrator that an account is just, is not evidence toris.
The only proof offered by plaintiff in support of this action, was the acknowledgment of the administrator, that the account was just, and Mv. Israel Matthews, then sitting for Judge Brevard, overruled the evidence and decreed for the defendant.
This was a motion to set aside this decree.

Opinion:
Bay, J.
As there is no privity of contract be-ween the executor or administrator, and a testator or intestate's creditor, it is not presumed in law, that they can know whether a demand is just or unjust. And therefore, a bare admission alone, on the part of an executor or administrator is not sufficient to charge the estate with the debt, although they may admit they have assets for that purpose, and that will charge them in case of a deficiency, provided that there is a legal recovery against them.
An executor or administrator may charge themselves with the debt of a testator or intestate, by writing : But no parol promise is good under the statute for that purpose. I am, therefore, against setting aside this decree.
Justices Gantt andCoLcocK concurred.