The Columbian Insurance Company of Alexandria brought a case against Ashby and Stribling and others in the Supreme Court. The company had issued a policy to insure certain goods that were being shipped from New York to Norfolk, Virginia. However, when the ship arrived at its destination, it was discovered that some of the cargo had been stolen during transit. The insurance company refused to pay for any losses incurred due to theft as they argued that their policy did not cover such an event. In response, Ashby and Stribling sued for damages on behalf of themselves and other claimants who suffered losses due to the theft. After hearing both sides’ arguments, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ashby and Stribling by finding that under maritime law there is an implied warranty or promise made by insurers which covers all risks associated with shipping goods unless otherwise specified in writing within a contract between two parties involved in said transaction.

In The Columbian Insurance Company of Alexandria v. Ashby and Stribling, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a policy issued by the plaintiff insurance company to cover losses from fire applied when a third party caused damage through negligence. Justice McLean wrote in dissent that he believed the policy should apply because it did not explicitly exclude coverage for damages resulting from negligence or other wrongful acts of third parties. He argued that if an insurer wanted to limit its liability in this way, they must make such exclusions clear in their policies so as not to mislead customers into believing they are covered against all risks associated with fires. Furthermore, Justice McLean noted that while there may be some ambiguity regarding what is meant by “fire” under certain circumstances, any reasonable interpretation would include damages caused by negligent behavior since these can often lead directly or indirectly to fires occurring on property insured under such policies. Therefore, he concluded that the defendants were entitled to recover their losses due to fire even though those losses were ultimately caused by another person's negligence