Eliza Brown, appellant, brought a case against Frances Swann and others in the Supreme Court. The dispute was over the ownership of two slaves named Eliza and her daughter Mary. Brown claimed that she had purchased them from Swann but that they were wrongfully taken away by another party. She sought to have them returned to her possession or be compensated for their value if they could not be recovered. The court found in favor of Brown, ruling that she was entitled to recover damages for the wrongful taking of Eliza and Mary as well as costs associated with bringing suit against Swann and others involved in this matter. This decision established an important precedent regarding property rights related to slavery at a time when such matters were still being debated throughout much of America's legal system.

In the case of Eliza Brown v. Frances Swann and Others, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a slave woman named Eliza had been legally emancipated by her former owner's will. The majority opinion held that she had not been freed because there were no specific words in the will indicating an intent to free her from slavery. However, Justice McLean dissented from this ruling and argued that it should be presumed that when someone leaves property or money to a slave in their will they intend for them to be freed upon their death. He further argued that even if there was some ambiguity as to what exactly was intended by the language of the will, any doubt should have been resolved in favor of freedom since slaves are considered property under law and thus cannot benefit from contracts or wills unless specifically stated otherwise.