In Miller v. Brass Company, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a contract between two parties was valid. The plaintiff, Miller, had contracted with the defendant, Brass Company, to purchase a certain amount of brass for a certain price. Miller had paid the agreed-upon price, but Brass Company had failed to deliver the brass. Miller then sued Brass Company for breach of contract. The Supreme Court held that the contract between Miller and Brass Company was valid and enforceable. The Court noted that the contract was clear and unambiguous, and that the parties had agreed to all of its terms. The Court also noted that Miller had performed his part of the contract by paying the agreed-upon price. Therefore, the Court held that Brass Company was liable for breach of contract and ordered it to pay damages to Miller.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in Miller v. Brass Company, arguing that the majority had misinterpreted a prior decision of the Supreme Court and failed to consider relevant facts. He argued that under previous case law, an employer was liable for injuries caused by defective machinery if it knew or should have known about its condition but did not take steps to repair it. In this case, he noted that there were numerous complaints from employees regarding the dangerous nature of certain machines used at work and yet no action was taken by management to address them. Furthermore, he argued that even if negligence could not be established on behalf of management due to lack of knowledge about specific defects in particular machines, they still had a duty as employers to ensure safe working conditions for their employees which they clearly failed to do here. As such, Justice Field concluded his dissent with a call for reversal of judgment against Miller and remandment back down below so further proceedings may take place accordingly