Massie v. Watts was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1810. The dispute arose when William Massie, an inhabitant of Kentucky, sued Thomas Watts for trespass and damages to his property. Massie alleged that he owned land on which Watts had built a mill without permission or compensation. In response, Watts argued that he had obtained the right to build the mill from another party who held title to part of the land in question and thus did not need consent from Massie himself. The court ultimately sided with Massie, ruling that no one other than him could grant permission for such construction as it would be tantamount to trespassing on his own property rights. This decision established precedent affirming individual landowners’ exclusive control over their properties and set limits on how far third parties can go in granting access or use of those lands without explicit authorization from owners themselves

In the case of Massie v. Watts, Chief Justice Marshall delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the court should have granted an appeal to review a decision made by the Circuit Court for Virginia. He believed that this was necessary because there were questions about whether or not certain facts had been properly considered and weighed when making their ruling. Furthermore, he felt that if these matters had been taken into account then it could have changed the outcome of the case entirely. In his view, it was important to ensure justice was served and all relevant information be taken into consideration before any final decisions were made - something which would only be possible through an appeal process being granted.