In Baltimore & Potomac Railroad Company v. Fifth Baptist Church, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a railroad company could be held liable for damages caused by a train accident. The Fifth Baptist Church of Washington, D.C. had sued the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad Company for damages caused by a train accident that occurred on the company's tracks. The church argued that the company was negligent in failing to provide a safe crossing for pedestrians and that the accident was a direct result of the company's negligence. The Supreme Court held that the railroad company was not liable for the accident. The Court reasoned that the company had taken reasonable steps to provide a safe crossing and that the accident was caused by the negligence of the pedestrians, not the company. The Court also noted that the company had no control over the pedestrians' actions and that the company could not be held liable for the negligence of the pedestrians. The Court concluded that the company was not liable for the accident and dismissed the church's claim.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in this case. He argued that a contract between two parties should be enforced, even if it is not beneficial to one of them. In this case, the Fifth Baptist Church had entered into an agreement with the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad Company to purchase land for $3,000 and then lease it back to the railroad company for 99 years at a rate of $100 per year. The church was unable to pay off its debt and sought relief from foreclosure proceedings by arguing that they were misled by false representations made by agents of the railroad company when entering into their agreement. Justice Field disagreed with this argument because he believed that contracts are binding regardless of any misrepresentations or fraud committed during negotiations; thus, he concluded that there was no basis on which to relieve the church from its obligations under their contract with the railroad company.