In the case of Benjamin Ford v. John S. and Herman Williams, Ford brought a suit against the two defendants for damages due to their negligence in failing to properly secure his goods while they were transporting them on a steamboat from New Orleans to Mobile Bay. The court found that although there was no express contract between the parties, an implied contract existed based on custom and usage in such cases where one party entrusts another with goods for transportation by watercraft. Furthermore, it was determined that since this implied contract had been breached by the defendants' failure to exercise reasonable care in securing Ford's property during transport, he should be compensated for any losses incurred as a result of their negligence.

In this case, Benjamin Ford brought a suit against John S. and Herman Williams for the unlawful detention of his slave, Mary Ann. The Supreme Court found that the defendants had not acted unlawfully in detaining Mary Ann because they believed she was their runaway slave based on her resemblance to one of their slaves who had escaped from them several years prior. Justice Curtis dissented from this opinion and argued that while it is true that the defendants may have been acting out of good faith when they detained Mary Ann, there were still no facts presented which could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she was actually their runaway slave as opposed to being someone else's property or even free altogether. He further noted how dangerous it would be if people were allowed to detain others simply on suspicion alone without any proof whatsoever since such an act could lead to serious violations of civil rights and liberties.