Phillip Landers, or Philander, was an enslaved African American man. In 1706 Thomas Sparrow, a merchant from Maryland, purchased Landers' servitude from George Birkenhead, also a merchant, in Bath County, North Carolina. Sparrow died in 1717, at which time the ownership of Landers transferred to Sparrow's executors. In 1722 Thomas Boyd and John Adams hired Landers out to Roger Kenyon. In 1724 Landers made a petition before the court arguing that he ought to be a free man and produced a document, purportedly from Sparrow on his deathbed, granting Landers his freedom. Sparrow's executors contested Landers' petition and produced other handwriting samples from Sparrow to argue that the manumission certificate was a fake. The court sided with Sparrow's executors and Landers remained enslaved.

While the manumission certificate's writing is clearly different from other samples known to come from Sparrow, it's also reasonable to think Sparrow's handwriting might have been different on his deathbed. Sparrow's will makes mention that upon his death certain cooking implements Landers was using were to be returned to Sparrow's wife, perhaps suggesting that Landers would be free.

Whatever Sparrow's intention, Landers remained enslaved after 1724.