In the case of Charles A. Beatty and John T. Ritchie, Appellants vs Daniel Kurtz and Others, Trustees of the German Lutheran Church of Georgetown, Appellees (1829), a dispute arose between two parties over a contract for land in Washington D.C.. The appellants argued that they had entered into an agreement with the appellees to purchase certain lots at a specific price but that when it came time to pay for them, their offer was rejected by the trustees who instead sold them to another party at a higher rate. The court ultimately ruled in favor of the appellants on grounds that there was sufficient evidence presented which showed that both parties had agreed upon terms prior to any sale being made and thus were bound by those conditions regardless if payment had been received or not. This ruling established precedent regarding contracts involving real estate transactions as well as providing protection against fraudulent practices within such agreements going forward.

In the dissenting opinion of Charles A. Beatty and John T. Ritchie v Daniel Kurtz and Others, Trustees of the German Lutheran Church of Georgetown, Justice Story argued that a church corporation should not be allowed to hold property in perpetuity without any limitation or restriction on its use. He reasoned that such an arrangement would grant churches too much power over their members by allowing them to control all aspects of religious life within their congregation without any oversight from civil authorities or other outside parties. Furthermore, he noted that it was against public policy for corporations to possess unlimited powers as this could lead to potential abuses which might go unchecked due to lack of accountability or transparency in decision-making processes. As such, he concluded that while churches had a right under law to own property for religious purposes they must also abide by certain restrictions imposed upon them by state legislatures so as not to infringe upon the rights and liberties guaranteed under the Constitution.