Dehon v. Bernal was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1865 that dealt with the issue of whether or not an individual could be held liable for damages caused to another person’s property due to negligence. The plaintiff, Dehon, had sued Bernal after his horse and wagon were damaged when they ran into a ditch on land owned by Bernal. The court found that although there was no evidence of intentional wrongdoing on behalf of Bernal, he could still be held responsible for any damage done as a result of his negligence in failing to properly maintain his property. This decision established the principle that landowners are obligated to take reasonable care in maintaining their properties so as not to cause harm or injury to others who may come onto their land.

In Dehon v. Bernal, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a contract between two parties should be enforced when it had been made in violation of an existing law. The majority opinion held that the contract could not be enforced because it violated public policy and thus was void from its inception. Justice Field dissented, arguing that while contracts which are illegal or immoral may not be enforced by courts of equity, this particular contract did not fall into either category and therefore should have been upheld as valid. He argued that if such contracts were to become unenforceable due to their illegality then all other similar agreements would also become invalidated regardless of their moral standing or lack thereof; this would lead to chaos in commercial transactions and ultimately harm society more than upholding the agreement would do so.