Eliza Brown, the appellant in this case, was appealing a decision made by the Circuit Court of Virginia. The court had found that Eliza did not have any right to land owned by William T. Swann and Richard B. Alexander as she claimed it was part of her inheritance from her deceased husband's estate. In order for Eliza to prove her claim, she needed to show evidence that there were no other heirs or devisees who could inherit the property before it passed on to her; however, due to lack of sufficient proof presented at trial, the Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s ruling and denied Eliza’s appeal. This case serves as an example of how important it is for parties involved in legal disputes over inherited property rights must be able provide clear evidence when making their claims in order for them succeed in court proceedings.

In the case of Eliza Brown v. Frances Swann and Richard B. Alexander, the dissenting opinion argued that a slave woman named Eliza should be able to sue for her freedom in court based on evidence from an earlier trial where she was found to have been illegally enslaved by William T. Swann prior to his death. The majority opinion held that since slaves were not considered citizens under Virginia law at the time, they could not bring suit against anyone in court regardless of their circumstances or claims of illegal enslavement; however, Justice Thompson disagreed with this ruling and argued that all persons had certain natural rights which allowed them access to justice through legal proceedings even if they did not possess full citizenship status under state laws. He further noted that denying Eliza's right to sue would effectively strip her of any chance at obtaining freedom despite clear evidence showing she had been wrongfully enslaved by another person who was now deceased - thus making it impossible for her ever receive reparations or compensation for damages incurred as a result of being unlawfully held captive against her will