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In the case of Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company v. Mihas, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the railway company. The dispute arose when a Greek immigrant named Mihas was injured while working for the railroad and sought compensation under Virginia's Workmen's Compensation Act. The railway company argued that since he had been hired in Greece and his contract stated that any disputes would be settled according to Greek law, American courts did not have jurisdiction over this matter. The court agreed with Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company, stating that it is within an employer’s rights to stipulate where legal disputes will be resolved as part of their employment contracts. Therefore, even though Mihas was injured while working on a project located in America, because his contract specified that all legal issues would fall under Greek law - which didn't recognize workman's compensation at that time - he could not seek damages through Virginia’s workers' compensation system. This ruling upheld employers’ ability to dictate terms regarding potential litigation within their employment contracts and highlighted how these agreements can impact employees’ access to certain forms of recourse following workplace injuries or other incidents.
In the dissenting opinion for Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company v. Mihas, it was argued that the court erred in its decision to hold the railway company liable for injuries sustained by Mihas while he was working on a train car. The dissenting justices contended that there were no federal regulations or safety standards violated by the railway company at the time of Mihas' accident. They also pointed out that Mihas had been employed with this particular railroad company for several years and should have been aware of any potential risks associated with his job duties. Furthermore, they believed that since no negligence could be proven on part of Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Company, it was unjust to place full responsibility on them for an unfortunate incident which may have simply resulted from occupational hazards inherent in railroading work.