George Beach, plaintiff in error, brought a case against Jonathan Viles and others for trespass on the case. The dispute arose when Beach purchased land from one of his neighbors that included an access road to the property. However, after purchasing the land he found out that Viles had been using this access road since 1817 without permission or payment of any kind. In response to this discovery, Beach filed suit against Viles and other defendants claiming damages for their use of his private roadway without consent or compensation. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of George Beach finding that he was entitled to recover damages from all defendants who used his private roadway without permission or payment during the time period between 1817-1829. This ruling established a legal precedent which held individuals liable for trespassing on another's property even if they were unaware it belonged to someone else at the time they entered onto it.

In the case of George Beach vs. Jonathan Viles et al., the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a deed from an Indian tribe to a private individual could be enforced in court. The majority opinion held that such deeds were not enforceable, as they had been obtained without federal approval and did not meet certain requirements for legal validity. However, Justice Story dissented from this decision, arguing that it would be unjust to deny enforcement of these deeds when they had been accepted by both parties at the time of their execution and relied upon for many years since then. He argued that if one party is allowed to repudiate his obligations under such agreements after so long a period has passed, it will lead only to injustice and confusion among all who have dealings with Indians or rely on similar contracts made between them and others.