Hoyt v. Shelden, Ex'r of Thompson, and the Long Island Railroad Company was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1861. The plaintiff, Hoyt, had been injured while riding on one of the defendant's trains when it collided with another train due to negligence on behalf of both parties involved. He sued for damages from both companies but only received compensation from one company as they argued that he could not sue them jointly for his injuries since they were separate entities under different ownership. The court ultimately ruled in favor of Hoyt and held that even though each railroad company was owned separately, their common use made them liable together for any injury caused by their negligence or carelessness. This ruling established an important precedent regarding joint liability among multiple defendants who are connected through a shared activity or service.

In the dissenting opinion of Hoyt vs. Shelden, Ex'r of Thompson, and The Long Island Railroad Company, Justice Nelson argued that the plaintiff had no right to bring an action against the defendant railroad company for damages caused by a collision between two trains on its line. He reasoned that since there was no contract or agreement between them, any claim must be brought under common law principles which require privity of contract in order to recover damages. Furthermore, he stated that even if such a contractual relationship did exist it would not have been sufficient to support an action as this case involved negligence rather than breach of contract. Finally he concluded that while Congress may have intended to provide some form of relief for those injured due to railway accidents they had failed to do so in this instance and thus could not be held liable for any losses suffered by the plaintiff.