This case was a dispute between Richard R. Keene and Margaret Meade, executrix of the estate of Richard W. Meade who had passed away. The issue at hand was whether or not Keene should be held liable for an unpaid debt that he had co-signed with his deceased partner, Mr. Meade. In this particular situation, it was determined that since there were no other assets to satisfy the debt from Mr. Meade's estate, then Keene would have to pay back the full amount himself as he had agreed to do when signing on as a co-signer in the first place; however if there were sufficient funds available within Mr. Meades' estate then those funds could be used instead and thus absolve Keene from having to pay out any money himself towards satisfying this debt obligation.. Ultimately, due to lack of evidence presented by either party during court proceedings regarding what assets may have been present in Mr .Meades'estate ,the Supreme Court ruled against both parties leaving them each responsible for their own legal costs incurred throughout litigation process

In the case of Richard R. Keene vs Margaret Meade, Executrix of Richard W. Meade, the Supreme Court had to decide whether a deed given by an executor was valid or not. The majority opinion held that it was invalid because it did not comply with certain formalities required under state law and thus could not be enforced in court. However, Justice Story dissented from this decision arguing that although there were some technical defects in the deed's formality, they should be overlooked as they did not affect its substance and validity; he argued that if these minor errors were disregarded then justice would prevail for both parties involved in this dispute over land ownership rights. He further stated that since no fraud or mistake had been committed by either party then equity demanded recognition of their respective rights without regard to any technical objections which may have arisen due to non-compliance with legal formalities regarding deeds at the time when this transaction took place