In Humaston v. Telegraph Company, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a telegraph company was liable for damages caused by a telegram sent by its employee. The plaintiff, Humaston, had sent a telegram to a third party, which was then intercepted and altered by the defendant's employee. The altered telegram caused Humaston to suffer financial losses. The Court held that the telegraph company was liable for the damages caused by the employee's actions. The Court reasoned that the company had a duty to ensure that its employees acted in a manner consistent with the company's obligations to its customers. The Court also noted that the company had a duty to exercise reasonable care in the selection and supervision of its employees. The Court concluded that the telegraph company was liable for the damages caused by its employee's actions. The Court held that the company had a duty to exercise reasonable care in the selection and supervision of its employees, and that it had failed to do so. As a result, the company was liable for the damages caused by its employee's actions.

In Humaston v. Telegraph Company, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a telegraph company could be held liable for damages caused by an employee’s negligence in delivering a message. The majority of the court found that the company was not liable because it had no control over its employees and therefore could not be held responsible for their actions. Justice Field dissented from this opinion, arguing that companies should be held accountable when their employees cause harm due to negligent behavior. He argued that since employers have control over who they hire and how they are trained, they should bear some responsibility if those individuals act negligently while on duty. Furthermore, he noted that allowing companies to escape liability would encourage them to employ people with little or no training or experience as there would be no consequences for any mistakes made by these workers.