Case Name: Neilson against Emerson
Court: South Carolina Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: South Carolina
Decision Date: 1802
Citations: 2 Bay 439
Docket Number: 
Parties: Neilson against Emerson.
Judges: All the Judges present.
Reporter: South Carolina Law Reports
Volume: 2
Pages: 439–439

Head Matter:
Neilson against Emerson.
Columbia,
1802.
In slander, it' some counts in the declaration are good and others are had, a general verdict will support the good ones.
SLANDER. Verdict for plaintiff. Motion in arrest of judgment.
Mr. Blanding, in support of this motion,
stated, that the plaintiff’s declaration contained three counts ; one for calling the plaintiff a hag thief, another for calling him a damned hog thief and a third for calling him a forsworn rascal. That the last words were not actionable, being mere words of heat and passion, and as the jury had found a general verdict, without distinguishing on which of the counts they -founded it, the court could not say on which of them the judgment should be entered up ; and, therefore, for this defect or irregularity, he prayed that the judgment might be arrested.

Opinion:
The court,
without further argument, dismissed the rule upon the authority of Neal and Lezvis's case, tried in Charleston,, in 1798, where it was determined, that if any one count in a declaration for slander was good, it was sufficient to found a judgment on upon a general finding.
Rule discharged.
All the Judges present.