In the 1912 case of Davis v. Las Ovas Company, Incorporated, the United States Supreme Court dealt with a dispute over land ownership in Florida. The plaintiff, Davis, claimed that he had purchased land from the state of Florida which was subsequently sold by the state to another party - Las Ovas Company. He argued that his purchase should be recognized as valid and sought to prevent Las Ovas Company from taking possession of it. However, the court ruled against him on grounds that he failed to properly record his claim after purchasing it and thus did not have legal title to it when it was sold again by the state. Therefore, according to this ruling, even though Davis paid for and received a deed for this property first before anyone else did so later including Las Ovas company; because he didn't follow through with recording procedures required under law at time; his claim wasn't legally enforceable or recognizable.

The dissenting opinion in the Davis v. Las Ovas Company, Incorporated case argued that the majority's decision to uphold a lower court ruling against Davis was incorrect. The dissent believed that there were significant procedural errors made by the lower court which should have led to a reversal of its decision. Specifically, they pointed out that evidence presented by Davis was improperly excluded and this exclusion had an impact on his ability to present his case fully and fairly. They also disagreed with how certain legal standards were applied in this case, arguing for a more stringent interpretation of these rules than what was used by both the trial court and their fellow justices on the Supreme Court bench.