In Gleason v. Seaboard Air Line Railway Company (1928), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the railway company, dismissing a claim by Mrs. Gleason for damages due to her husband's death while working on their railroad line in Florida. Mr. Gleason was killed when he fell from a moving train; his wife argued that this was due to negligence on part of the company and sought compensation under Florida’s wrongful death statute which allowed recovery for deaths caused by any default or neglect equivalent to willful misconduct if it had happened within state borders. However, the court found that there wasn't enough evidence proving negligence or misconduct by Seaboard Air Line Railway Company leading directly to Mr.Gleason's accident and subsequent death.The court also noted that since most of Mr.Gleason's work took place outside Florida, its laws did not apply here despite his contract being made within its jurisdiction.This case clarified how states' individual wrongful-death statutes could be applied across different jurisdictions.

In the dissenting opinion for Gleason v. Seaboard Air Line Railway Company, it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a Florida law requiring railroads to pay double damages in personal injury cases involving employees was unconstitutional. The dissent contended that this law violated the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause because it unfairly singled out railroad companies for harsher treatment than other types of businesses. They also pointed out inconsistencies in how different states treated such cases and suggested that federal legislation might be necessary to ensure uniformity across state lines. Furthermore, they disagreed with the majority's interpretation of precedent and believed previous decisions did not support upholding the Florida statute.