In the case of Stephen Lindsey and Others v. The Lessee of Thomas B. Miller, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a lessee could be held liable for debts incurred by his lessor prior to entering into the lease agreement. The plaintiffs argued that they were entitled to recover from both parties because their debt had been contracted before any lease agreement was made between them and Miller's lessee. However, the court found in favor of Miller's lessee, ruling that he should not be held responsible for debts incurred by his lessor prior to entering into a contract with him as it would have been impossible for him to know about such liabilities at that time. Furthermore, it noted that if this rule were otherwise applied then all future leases would become uncertain since no one could guarantee what obligations may arise out of past contracts entered into by previous owners or tenants on property being leased anew. Ultimately, this decision established an important precedent which has remained relevant today - namely that when someone enters into a new lease agreement they are only liable for those obligations arising out of their own actions rather than those which predate their involvement in the transaction

In the case of Stephen Lindsey and Others v. The Lessee of Thomas B. Miller, Justice McLean delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the court should have found for the plaintiffs on their claim to recover damages from an alleged breach of contract by Miller's lessee. He believed that there was sufficient evidence presented to prove that a valid agreement had been made between Lindsey and his co-plaintiffs and Miller's lessee, as well as clear proof that this agreement had been breached by the defendant when they failed to pay rent or surrender possession of certain lands after being requested to do so multiple times. Furthermore, McLean argued that even if no formal contract existed between them, it could still be inferred from all parties' actions leading up to this dispute; thus making it necessary for some form of compensation or restitution be paid out by the defendant in order for justice to prevail.