In the 1927 case of Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company v. Wells-Dickey Trust Company, Administrator, the U.S Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a state court had jurisdiction over an out-of-state corporation in a wrongful death lawsuit. The plaintiff's husband died while working for the railroad company in Minnesota and she filed suit in Missouri where her husband resided at his time of death. The defendant argued that they were not "doing business" within Missouri and thus could not be sued there under due process clause protections against extraterritorial service of process. The Supreme Court ruled that because the railroad company maintained offices and conducted regular business activities within Missouri - including soliciting freight traffic - it was indeed "doing business" within the state despite being incorporated elsewhere (in this case Illinois). Therefore, it could be subjected to lawsuits there even if related events occurred outside its borders. This decision clarified how far-reaching a state’s jurisdiction can extend over corporations operating across multiple states.

In the dissenting opinion for the case of Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company v. Wells-Dickey Trust Company, Administrator, it was argued that the court majority had erred in its interpretation of Minnesota law and overstepped its jurisdiction by interfering with state legislation. The dissenting justices believed that Minnesota's laws were clear in their intent to hold railroads liable for damages caused by fires originating from locomotives unless they could prove negligence on part of the claimant or a natural cause. They contended that this liability did not violate due process as claimed by the railroad company because it was within a state’s power to regulate businesses operating within its borders for public safety reasons. Furthermore, they asserted that such regulations were not unreasonable or arbitrary but rather aimed at preventing harm and compensating victims adequately when prevention failed.