In the case of Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company v. Stewart, 1915, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the railroad company. The case involved a dispute over liability for an accident that resulted in death on one of their trains. The deceased's family argued that negligence by the train's crew was to blame for his death while he was traveling as a passenger on one of its cars which collided with another car due to faulty brakes. However, it was found that there were no federal safety regulations requiring specific brake inspections at this time period and thus could not be held accountable based solely on state law claims without proof of negligence or intent to harm under common carrier laws. Therefore, despite sympathy towards Mr.Stewart’s unfortunate demise, the court concluded that there wasn't enough evidence presented proving any negligent act by Louisville & Nashville Railroad Company leading directly to Mr.Stewart’s death.

In the dissenting opinion for Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company v. Stewart, it was argued that the majority's decision to hold the railroad company liable for damages in a wrongful death case involving an employee who died while on duty was incorrect. The dissenting justices believed that there wasn't sufficient evidence to prove negligence on part of the employer, as required by federal law under which this case fell due to its interstate commerce nature. They contended that mere occurrence of an accident should not automatically imply negligence or fault from employers' side without clear proof showing failure in their duty of care towards employees. Furthermore, they disagreed with how lower courts had instructed juries about presumption of negligence based solely upon happening of accidents; such instructions were seen as misleading and prejudicial against defendants like railroads involved in inherently risky operations where accidents could happen even with utmost precautions taken.