In Gould v. Evansville and Crawfordsville R.R. Co, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a railroad company was liable for damages caused by a train accident. The plaintiff, Gould, was a passenger on the train when it collided with another train, resulting in serious injuries to Gould. Gould sued the railroad company, claiming that the company was negligent in its operation of the train. The Supreme Court held that the railroad company was liable for the damages caused by the accident. The Court found that the railroad company had a duty to exercise reasonable care in the operation of its trains, and that it had breached this duty by failing to take proper precautions to prevent the accident. The Court also held that the railroad company was liable for the damages caused by the accident, even though the accident was caused by the negligence of another train's engineer. The Court's decision in this case established that railroad companies are liable for damages caused by their negligence in the operation of their trains. This decision has been cited in numerous subsequent cases involving railroad companies and their liability for damages caused by their negligence.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in Gould v. Evansville and Crawfordsville R.R. Co, arguing that the majority's decision was contrary to established precedent and would lead to a dangerous expansion of federal power over state laws. He argued that Congress had not intended for its legislation regarding railroad rates to be interpreted so broadly as to allow it to override state law on matters such as this one, which concerned an agreement between two private parties rather than any action taken by a railroad company itself or under its authority. Furthermore, he noted that if the Court were allowed to intervene in disputes like these without clear congressional authorization, then it could potentially interfere with all manner of contracts made between individuals within a given state - something he felt should remain firmly within the purview of each individual state's legislature and courts alone.