In the case of Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company v. Behlmer, 1899, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the railroad company. The dispute arose when a train operated by Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company collided with a wagon driven by Mr. Behlmer at a railway crossing resulting in his death. His wife sued for damages alleging negligence on part of the railroad company as they did not provide adequate warning signals at that particular crossing point which was frequently used by public traffic. The court held that while it is indeed incumbent upon railroads to exercise reasonable care to prevent accidents at crossings, this does not necessarily translate into an obligation to maintain flagmen or other specific warnings at all such points unless warranted by special circumstances like heavy vehicular traffic etc., which were absent in this case. Furthermore, evidence suggested that Mr.Behlmer had clear view of incoming trains from quite some distance but failed to take necessary precautions himself before attempting to cross thereby contributing significantly towards his own demise through contributory negligence. Thus,the court concluded that there was no actionable fault on part of the defendant i.e.,the railroad company leading them ultimately towards victory in this lawsuit.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company v. Behlmer disagreed with the majority's ruling that a railroad company could be held liable for an accident caused by its employee, even if it had no knowledge or control over the employee's actions at the time. The dissent argued that this interpretation was too broad and would unfairly penalize companies for accidents they couldn't reasonably prevent. They contended that liability should only apply when a company has some degree of control or influence over their employees' actions, such as through negligence in hiring or supervision. Without this requirement, they believed businesses could face undue financial burdens from lawsuits beyond their control.