In the case of Easterling Lumber Company v. Pierce (1914), the U.S Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a state law that required employers to compensate their employees for injuries sustained while on duty, even if negligence could not be proven, violated the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause. The plaintiff, Easterling Lumber Company argued that it did because it deprived them of property without due process by making them liable for damages they had no control over and were not responsible for causing. However, the court ruled in favor of Pierce stating that such laws are within a state’s police power as long as they are reasonable and bear a real substantial relation to public health or welfare. Therefore, this compensation statute does not violate any constitutional rights under the 14th amendment since its purpose is to ensure workers' safety and welfare.

In the dissenting opinion for Easterling Lumber Company v. Pierce, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a Mississippi statute allowing employees to sue employers in cases of injury or death caused by negligence was incorrect. The dissenting justices believed this law violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause because it unfairly shifted liability from an employee who may have been negligent onto their employer without providing sufficient evidence of wrongdoing on part of the employer. They contended that such statutes should require proof beyond reasonable doubt that an accident occurred as a direct result of an employer's negligence and not merely because they were involved in some way with hazardous work conditions. Furthermore, they disagreed with imposing penalties on employers who failed to ensure absolute safety at workplaces since accidents could occur even under safest conditions due to unforeseen circumstances or worker carelessness.