Hickman v. Jones et al. was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of whether a party could sue for damages for the wrongful death of a slave. The case was brought by the executor of the estate of a deceased slave, who sought damages from the defendants for the wrongful death of the slave. The Supreme Court held that the executor could not sue for damages, as the slave was considered to be the property of the defendants and not a person with legal rights. The Court reasoned that the executor had no legal right to sue for damages, as the slave was not a person with legal rights. The Court also held that the executor could not sue for damages on behalf of the slave's heirs, as the slave had no heirs. The Court concluded that the executor could not sue for damages for the wrongful death of the slave. The decision in this case established that slaves were not considered to be persons with legal rights, and that their owners could not be held liable for their wrongful death.

In the case of Hickman v. Jones et al., Chief Justice Chase delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the majority had failed to consider important aspects of the law and precedent when deciding on their ruling. He noted that while it was true that there were some cases where courts could not grant relief, this particular case did not fall into those categories as it involved an action for damages due to breach of contract. Furthermore, he argued that since both parties had agreed upon certain terms and conditions prior to entering into a contract, they should be held accountable for any breaches thereof regardless of whether or not they were aware at the time what those specific terms entailed. Finally, Chief Justice Chase concluded by noting his disagreement with how narrowly defined “special circumstances” had been interpreted by the majority in order to deny relief; instead he believed such situations should be considered on a more individual basis rather than being subject to broad generalizations about all contracts alike.