In the case of J.W. Calnan Company v. Doherty, 1911, the U.S Supreme Court dealt with a dispute over a construction contract. The plaintiff, J.W. Calnan Company had entered into an agreement with defendant Doherty to construct a building for him in Boston and was subsequently not paid for their work due to alleged defects in construction quality and materials used by them as per Doherty's claims. The court ruled that while there were indeed some minor issues with the work done by Calnan Co., these did not justify non-payment entirely as they could be easily rectified at minimal cost compared to the total value of the project itself which was satisfactorily completed overall according to contractual terms agreed upon initially between both parties involved in this matter.

The dissenting opinion in the case of J.W. Calnan Company v. Doherty argued that the majority's decision to uphold a Massachusetts law requiring employers to compensate employees for injuries sustained on the job, regardless of negligence or fault, was unconstitutional. The dissenters believed this violated an employer's due process rights under the Fourteenth Amendment by imposing liability without fault and depriving them of property without just compensation. They contended that such laws should only apply when there is clear evidence of negligence or wrongdoing on part of the employer leading to employee injury; otherwise, it would be unjustly burdensome for businesses and could potentially discourage economic growth and development.