In the case of Brown v. Wygant and Leeds in 1895, the U.S Supreme Court ruled on a dispute involving property rights. The plaintiff, Brown, claimed that he had been defrauded by Wygant and Leeds when they sold him land which was encumbered with liens for unpaid taxes. He argued that this information was concealed from him at the time of purchase. However, the court found no evidence to support his claim of fraud or concealment by defendants during sale negotiations. It held that it is incumbent upon a purchaser to investigate any potential liabilities associated with a property before buying it; failure to do so does not constitute grounds for claiming damages after purchase if such liabilities are discovered later on.

In the dissenting opinion for Brown v. Wygant and Leeds, Justice Harlan argued that the majority's decision was a misinterpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment. He believed that this amendment should be used to protect all citizens equally, regardless of race or color. The majority's ruling, he contended, effectively allowed discrimination against African Americans by permitting employers to favor white workers over black ones in hiring decisions. Harlan asserted that such practices were not only unjust but also unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. He further criticized his colleagues for failing to recognize how deeply ingrained racial prejudice was in American society and warned that their decision would perpetuate these injustices rather than rectify them.