In Dresser v. Missouri and Iowa Railway Construction Company, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a contract between two parties was valid. The plaintiff, Dresser, had contracted with the defendant, Missouri and Iowa Railway Construction Company, to build a railway line. The contract stated that the defendant would pay the plaintiff a certain amount of money for the work. However, the defendant failed to pay the plaintiff the full amount due. The Supreme Court held that the contract was valid and enforceable. The Court found that the contract was clear and unambiguous, and that the defendant had agreed to pay the plaintiff the full amount due. The Court also found that the defendant had breached the contract by failing to pay the plaintiff the full amount due. As a result, the Court held that the plaintiff was entitled to recover the full amount due under the contract.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in Dresser v. Missouri and Iowa Railway Construction Company, arguing that the majority's decision was based on a misreading of the contract between the parties. He argued that under Missouri law, which governed this case, an employer is not liable for injuries sustained by an employee while performing work outside of their regular duties unless they are specifically instructed to do so or have been given permission to do so. In this case, he argued that there was no evidence presented at trial showing that Dresser had received any such instruction or permission from his employer prior to engaging in activities related to building a bridge over a river near St Louis. As such, Justice Field concluded that it would be unjust for his employer to be held liable for any damages resulting from those activities as they were performed without authorization and thus beyond the scope of employment.