In the case of Pierre A. Berthold and Others v. James McDonald and Mary McRee, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a contract between two parties was valid or not. The plaintiffs argued that they had entered into an agreement to purchase land from McDonald and McRee for $3,000 in cash plus other considerations such as stock certificates, but that the defendants had refused to accept payment on those terms. The court found in favor of the plaintiffs, ruling that their offer constituted a binding contract under Louisiana law since it included all necessary elements including consideration (the money) and mutual assent (both parties agreeing). Furthermore, because there was no evidence presented by either side indicating any fraud or misrepresentation on behalf of either party involved in this transaction, the court held that both sides were bound by its terms.

In the case of Pierre A. Berthold and Others v. James McDonald and Mary McRee, the dissenting opinion argued that a contract between two parties should be enforced as written regardless of any subsequent changes in circumstances or conditions. The majority had ruled that an agreement to purchase land could not be enforced because it was made before Louisiana became part of the United States, but after this change in status occurred, one party refused to fulfill their obligations under the contract due to changed economic conditions. The dissent disagreed with this ruling on grounds that contracts are binding even when they become more difficult or expensive for one side than originally anticipated; if such agreements were allowed to be broken so easily then no contracts would ever have any real value or meaning since each party could simply back out whenever things got tough. Furthermore, enforcing a contract is necessary for maintaining public confidence in business transactions and upholding justice by ensuring both sides abide by what has been agreed upon rather than allowing either side to take advantage of changing situations at will without consequence.