John H. Bennett brought a case against Samuel F. Butterworth to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1850, claiming that he was wrongfully evicted from his home by Butterworth and had suffered damages as a result. The court found that Bennett's eviction was illegal because it violated an act passed by Congress which prohibited any person from being removed from their residence without due process of law or just compensation for their losses. Furthermore, the court held that even if there were no such statute, Bennett would still be entitled to recover damages since his removal constituted an unlawful trespass on his property rights under common law principles. Ultimately, the court ruled in favor of Bennett and ordered Butterworth to pay him $1,000 in damages for wrongful eviction and other costs associated with bringing suit against him.

In the case of John H. Bennett v. Samuel F. Butterworth, Justice McLean delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the plaintiff had not been given due process under the law and was denied his right to a jury trial as guaranteed by Article III of the Constitution. He noted that although there were certain exceptions to this rule, none applied in this particular case and thus it should have gone before a jury for determination instead of being decided solely by judges who lacked any knowledge or expertise on matters related to patent infringement claims such as those at issue here. Furthermore, he contended that even if an exception did apply, it would still be necessary for both parties to agree upon its application prior to any decision being made without allowing either party their right to challenge it through proper legal proceedings first; something which had not occurred here either according tot he facts presented before him.