The U.S. Supreme Court case Illinois Steel Co. v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co., 1943, revolved around a dispute over freight charges for the transportation of steel products from Joliet, Illinois to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company (B&O). The Illinois Steel Company argued that B&O had charged excessive rates and sought reparations under Section 8 of the Interstate Commerce Act which allows shippers to recover damages if they have been charged unreasonable or discriminatory rates for interstate commerce transportations. However, B&O contended that their charges were justified as they were based on tariffs filed with and approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), hence immune from judicial review. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of B&O stating that courts could not second-guess rate determinations made by ICC unless there was evidence of fraud or malfeasance involved in setting those rates - neither of which was alleged in this case. Therefore, it held that once a tariff is filed with and accepted by ICC without any challenge within prescribed time limits; its reasonableness becomes unassailable before courts.

In the dissenting opinion for Illinois Steel Co. v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Co., it was argued that the majority's decision to uphold a lower court ruling in favor of the railroad company contradicted established principles of contract law and unjustly enriched one party at another's expense. The dissenting justices contended that, by allowing the railroad company to collect freight charges from both parties involved in a shipping agreement, despite having only provided services to one, constituted an unfair double recovery. They further criticized the majority for failing to consider whether or not such charges were reasonable or necessary under existing regulations governing interstate commerce and transportation rates. In their view, this oversight resulted in an inequitable outcome which unfairly penalized Illinois Steel Company while rewarding Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company with unearned profits.