Hoard v. Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of whether a railroad company was liable for damages caused by a train accident. The plaintiff, Hoard, was a passenger on a train operated by the defendant, Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The train derailed, causing Hoard to suffer serious injuries. Hoard sued the railroad company, claiming that the accident was caused by the company's negligence. The Supreme Court held that the railroad company was liable for the damages caused by the accident. The Court found that the company had a duty to exercise reasonable care in the operation of its trains, and that it had breached this duty by failing to properly maintain the tracks. The Court also found that the company had failed to provide adequate warnings to passengers about the condition of the tracks. As a result, the Court held that the company was liable for Hoard's injuries.

In the case of Hoard v. Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a railroad company could be held liable for damages caused by its negligence in failing to provide adequate protection against fire on its premises. The majority opinion found that the railroad had not been negligent and thus could not be held liable for any resulting damage. However, Justice Field dissented from this decision, arguing that it was clear from the evidence presented at trial that there had been an inadequate level of protection provided by the railway against fire hazards on their property. He argued further that if such negligence were allowed to go unpunished then other companies would have no incentive to take proper precautions when operating their businesses or providing services which might cause harm or injury due to lack of safety measures taken in advance. Therefore, he concluded that liability should attach even where there is no actual intent or knowledge of wrongdoing on behalf of those responsible for providing such services as long as they are shown to have acted negligently with respect thereto.