In Fertilizing Company v. Hyde Park, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a contract between a fertilizing company and a town was valid. The fertilizing company had contracted with the town of Hyde Park to supply it with fertilizer for a period of five years. The contract provided that the town would pay the company a certain amount of money each year for the fertilizer. The town of Hyde Park refused to pay the company for the fertilizer, claiming that the contract was invalid because it had not been approved by the town council. The fertilizing company sued the town for breach of contract. The Supreme Court held that the contract was valid and enforceable. The Court noted that the contract was not required to be approved by the town council in order to be valid. The Court also noted that the town had accepted the benefits of the contract by using the fertilizer, and thus was obligated to pay for it. The Court held that the town was liable for breach of contract and ordered it to pay the fertilizing company the amount due under the contract.

In Fertilizing Company v. Hyde Park, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a contract between two parties could be enforced when it had been made in violation of an existing state statute. The majority opinion held that such contracts were not enforceable and thus the plaintiff's claim failed. However, Justice Field dissented from this decision on the grounds that while he agreed with the majority's interpretation of applicable law, he felt that enforcing such contracts would serve as a deterrent against future violations of statutes by those who might otherwise believe they can escape liability for their actions simply because they have entered into a contract with another party. He argued further that if these types of agreements are allowed to stand then it will encourage people to enter into similar arrangements without fear or consequence and ultimately undermine public policy which is intended to protect citizens from harm caused by illegal activities.