In Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway Company v. Herrick, the Supreme Court of the United States was asked to decide whether a railroad company was liable for damages caused by a train accident. The plaintiff, Herrick, was a passenger on the train when it collided with another train, resulting in serious injuries. Herrick sued the railroad company, claiming that the company was negligent in its operation of the train. The Supreme Court held that the railroad company was liable for the damages caused by the accident. The Court found that the company had a duty to exercise reasonable care in the operation of its trains, and that it had breached this duty by failing to take proper precautions to prevent the accident. The Court also held that the company was liable for the damages caused by the accident, even though the accident was caused by the negligence of another train operator. The Court's decision established that railroad companies are liable for damages caused by their negligence in the operation of their trains. This decision has been cited in numerous cases since then, and has been used to establish the legal principle that companies have a duty to exercise reasonable care in the operation of their businesses.

In Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway Company v. Herrick, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a railroad company could be held liable for damages caused by its negligence in failing to provide sufficient brakes on one of its cars that resulted in an injury to a passenger's leg. The majority opinion found that the railroad company was not liable because it had taken reasonable care in providing adequate brakes and thus did not owe any duty of care towards passengers who were injured due to their own negligence or lack of caution while riding on the car with insufficient brakes. Justice Field dissented from this decision, arguing that under common law principles, when someone is injured as a result of another person’s negligent act or omission they are entitled to compensation regardless if they themselves were also at fault for their injuries. He argued further that since railroads have been given special privileges by Congress such as eminent domain rights over land and other public resources, then these companies should also bear responsibility for any harm done through their operations which includes ensuring safe travel conditions for passengers using their services.