Joseph Iasigi and Thomas A. Goddard were the plaintiffs in error in this Supreme Court case, which was brought against James Brown and his trustee, Thomas B. Curtis. The dispute arose from a contract between the two parties that involved an agreement to purchase certain real estate located in Washington D.C., with payment due within one year of signing the contract. When Brown failed to make payment on time, Iasigi and Goddard sued for breach of contract but lost their case at trial court level as they had not provided sufficient evidence to prove that there was a valid agreement between them and Brown or that he had breached it by failing to pay on time. On appeal before the Supreme Court, however, Iasigi and Goddard argued successfully that they should be allowed additional time for discovery so as to provide further proof of their claim; thus allowing them another chance at proving their case before a jury if necessary. Ultimately, after considering all relevant facts presented by both sides during oral arguments held over several days’ duration, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of granting Iasigi & Goddard's request for more time for discovery proceedings prior to any final judgment being made regarding liability or damages owed under said contract with Brown..

In the dissenting opinion of this case, Justice Grier argued that the court should not have granted a writ of error to reverse the judgment in favor of James Brown. He believed that there was no legal basis for reversing it because Joseph Iasigi and Thomas A. Goddard had failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove their claim against Brown. Furthermore, he noted that they had already been given an opportunity by the lower court to present additional proof but chose not to do so. Therefore, he concluded that they were not entitled to any relief from this Court and thus did not deserve a reversal of the decision below.