William Neves and James C. Neves, appellants, brought a case against William F. Scott and Richard Rowell before the United States Supreme Court in 1850. The dispute centered around an agreement between the parties that was made in 1845 for the sale of land located in California's Napa Valley region. According to this agreement, Scott and Rowell were to pay $1,000 for two parcels of land owned by the Nevises; however they only paid $500 at first with no indication as to when or if they would make up the difference. After several years had passed without any further payment being made on behalf of Scott and Rowell, William Neves filed suit against them seeking full payment plus interest from 1845 onward until such time as it was fully satisfied. The US Supreme Court ultimately ruled in favor of William Neves stating that he should receive full compensation according to his original contract with Scott and Rowell including all applicable interest charges since 1845 when their initial agreement was entered into effect.

In the dissenting opinion of William Neves and James C. Neves v. William F. Scott and Richard Rowell, Justice McLean argued that the court should have considered a prior case in which it was established that an individual could not be held liable for damages resulting from another’s negligence if they had no control over them or their actions at the time of injury. In this particular case, he felt there was sufficient evidence to show that neither party had any control over the other's actions leading up to the accident; therefore, both parties should be absolved from liability for damages caused by either one of them during said incident. He further noted that even though some courts may find otherwise based on similar facts presented before them, such decisions do not necessarily set precedent as each state has its own laws governing these matters and must make independent determinations when deciding cases like this one accordingly.