Boardman v. Toffey is a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1885. The case involved a dispute between two parties over a contract for the sale of a steamboat. The plaintiff, Boardman, had contracted with the defendant, Toffey, to purchase a steamboat for $2,000. Boardman paid the full amount, but Toffey refused to deliver the boat. Boardman then sued Toffey for breach of contract. The Supreme Court held that Boardman was entitled to recover the full amount of the purchase price, plus interest, from Toffey. The Court reasoned that Toffey had breached the contract by failing to deliver the boat, and that Boardman was entitled to recover the full amount of the purchase price, plus interest, as damages for the breach. The Court also held that Boardman was entitled to recover the costs of the suit, including attorney's fees. In conclusion, the Supreme Court held that Boardman was entitled to recover the full amount of the purchase price, plus interest, from Toffey for breach of contract. The Court also held that Boardman was entitled to recover the costs of the suit, including attorney's fees.

In Boardman v. Toffey, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a contract between two parties for the sale of land could be enforced when one party had died before it was fully performed. The majority opinion held that such contracts were not enforceable because they lacked consideration and were thus unenforceable under existing law. However, in his dissenting opinion Justice Field argued that there should be an exception made in this case as both parties had already partially performed their obligations under the contract prior to one of them passing away. He argued that since each party had given something up and received something in return, there was sufficient consideration present to make the contract valid even though it wasn't fully completed by both sides at the time of death. Furthermore, he stated that allowing such contracts to stand would help promote fairness and justice among all involved parties rather than leaving some without any remedy or recourse due to unforeseen circumstances beyond their control