Thomas H. McClanahan, Administrator of William J. McClanahan, brought a case against Richard Davis and William D. Nutt, Administrator of George Coleman deceased as well as Elizabeth Blacklock the widow and relict of Nicholas F. Blacklock in 1850. The dispute was over land that had been owned by Thomas’s father-in-law who passed away without leaving a will or any other legal document to prove ownership rights for his heirs or successors in interest to the property at issue. The Supreme Court held that since there was no evidence presented to show title vested with either party prior to the death of Thomas's father-in-law then neither party could claim title through inheritance or succession rights under common law principles; thus both parties were found not entitled to possession nor damages from one another due lack proof on their part regarding ownership rights before his death occurred

In Thomas H. McClanahan v. Richard Davis, William D. Nutt, Elizabeth Blacklock, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a deed of land from Nicholas F. Blacklock to his son-in-law George Coleman should be considered valid after Blacklock's death and despite being executed without consideration or legal formality. The majority opinion held that the deed was invalid because it lacked both consideration and formalities required by law for its validity; however Justice McLean dissented on this point arguing that although there may have been no actual payment made in exchange for the property at the time of execution, evidence showed that Coleman had provided valuable services to Blacklock prior to executing the deed which could constitute sufficient consideration under common law principles even if not legally enforceable as such due to lack of formality in execution process. He further argued that since all parties involved were aware of these facts when they entered into agreement then equity should prevail over strict adherence to technical rules governing conveyances and thus uphold validity of deed regardless of any deficiencies in its execution process