Crampton v. Zabriskie was a United States Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of whether a party could be held liable for a breach of contract when the contract was not in writing. The case involved a dispute between two parties, Crampton and Zabriskie, over a contract for the sale of a horse. Crampton had agreed to purchase the horse from Zabriskie for a certain price, but Zabriskie refused to deliver the horse after Crampton had paid the agreed-upon price. The Supreme Court held that Crampton could recover damages from Zabriskie for breach of contract, even though the contract was not in writing. The Court reasoned that the parties had agreed to the terms of the contract, and that the agreement was binding even though it was not in writing. The Court also noted that the parties had acted in reliance on the agreement, and that Crampton had paid the agreed-upon price for the horse. The Court's decision in Crampton v. Zabriskie established that parties can be held liable for breach of contract even when the contract is not in writing. This decision has been cited in numerous subsequent cases, and has been used to support the notion that parties can be held liable for breach of contract even when the contract is not in writing.

In Crampton v. Zabriskie, the Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a judgment of foreclosure and sale in favor of the plaintiff should be set aside due to irregularities in the proceedings leading up to it. The majority opinion held that there were no such irregularities and that therefore, the judgment should stand. However, Justice Field dissented from this decision on two grounds: firstly, he argued that certain procedural errors had occurred during trial which rendered it unfair; secondly, he asserted that even if these errors did not invalidate the entire proceeding they still warranted setting aside some portions of it as being unjust or inequitable. Ultimately then, Justice Field believed that while some parts of the judgment may have been valid others needed to be overturned so as to ensure justice for all parties involved.