Christian v. Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Company was a Supreme Court case that was decided in 1877. The case involved a dispute between the plaintiff, William Christian, and the defendant, the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Company. Christian had been employed by the railroad company as a brakeman and was injured while on the job. He sued the company for damages, claiming that the company had been negligent in providing a safe working environment. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Christian, finding that the railroad company had been negligent in providing a safe working environment. The Court held that the company had a duty to provide a safe working environment for its employees and that it had failed to do so. The Court also held that the company was liable for the damages suffered by Christian as a result of its negligence. The decision in Christian v. Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Company established the principle that employers have a duty to provide a safe working environment for their employees. This decision has been cited in numerous cases since then and has been used to establish the legal principle of employer negligence.

In the dissenting opinion of Christian v. Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Company, Justice Field argued that the majority's decision was in error because it failed to consider a crucial point: whether or not the plaintiff had been injured by an act of negligence on behalf of the defendant. He noted that there was no evidence presented at trial which established any such negligence, and thus concluded that there could be no liability for damages awarded against the railroad company. Furthermore, he argued that even if some form of negligence had occurred, it would have been impossible to determine what amount should be paid as compensation without further proof being provided regarding how much harm had actually been caused by said negligence. As such, Justice Field believed that granting judgment in favor of the plaintiff would set a dangerous precedent wherein individuals could recover damages from companies based solely upon speculation rather than actual facts proven in court.