In the case of Hotel Company v. Wade, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a hotel company could be held liable for the death of a guest. The guest, Wade, had died after falling from a window in the hotel. The hotel company argued that they were not liable for Wade's death because they had not been negligent in any way. The Supreme Court held that the hotel company was liable for Wade's death. The Court reasoned that the hotel company had a duty to provide a safe environment for its guests, and that this duty extended to the windows in the hotel. The Court found that the hotel company had failed to take reasonable steps to ensure that the windows were safe, and thus had breached its duty of care. As a result, the Court held that the hotel company was liable for Wade's death.

In the case of Hotel Company v. Wade, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a hotel company could be held liable for damages caused by an employee's negligence. The majority opinion found that the hotel company was not responsible for any damage caused by its employees' negligence and thus dismissed the plaintiff's claim. However, Justice Field dissented from this decision and argued that employers should be held accountable when their employees cause harm to another person or property due to their negligent actions while in service of said employer. He reasoned that it would only be fair if employers were made liable since they are ultimately responsible for hiring competent individuals who can properly perform their duties without causing harm to others; furthermore, he believed such liability would encourage employers to exercise greater care in selecting suitable personnel as well as providing proper training and supervision so as to avoid similar incidents occurring again in future.