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7 Johns. Ch. 206

Mactier v. Lawrence

New York Court of Chancery

Decided July 1, 1823

New York Court of Chancery · decided 1823-07-01

THE bill stated, that the plaintiff sued for himself and for such other creditors of Henry Mactier, deceased, as should come in and contribute to the expenses of the suit. That H. M., at the time of his death, was indebted to the plaintiff in 4000 dollars, for money lent. That he died intestate, the 10th of April last, and had been largely enga-* ged in commercial business, and was indebted to several persons, in and out of the United States.

Cited by 1 later decisions — most recently January 1850

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1823-07-01

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The Chancellor.

¶1The injunction, in this case, would

¶2not be warranted by the doctrine in Thompson v. Brown. (4 Johns. Ch. Rep. 619.) The plaintiff is a simple contract creditor, and has not obtained a decree for an account ; and there is no case that warrants an injunction, interfering with the remedy at law, until a decree. It was admitted, in Smith v. Eyles, (2 Atk. 385.) that before a decree, the executor might confess a judgment at law, which would give priority; and in Waring v. Danvers, (1 P. Wms. 295.) the executor confessed judgment at law, pending a suit in equity, and prior to the decree; and it was held good. If the creditor is not to be restrained at law in this case, why should the administrators be restrained from suffering him to take judgment by default, or from giving him a plea of cognovit ? Until the decree, there is no just principle upon which the Court can interfere to the extent prayed for, without utterly destroying all *208remedy at law. If the creditor has a right to sue at law, the administrator must equally have a right to waive the / ° expense and folly of a litigation, and confess the debt.

¶3Motion denied.

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