The O'Donnell v. Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co. case in 1949 revolved around the issue of negligence and liability for a fatal accident involving an employee of the railway company. The plaintiff, Mrs. O'Donnell, was seeking compensation for her husband's death who died while working on a railroad car that unexpectedly moved due to another worker's actions at the rail yard owned by Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Company (EJ&E). The Supreme Court had to decide whether EJ&E could be held liable under the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA), which allows workers to sue their employers for injuries sustained on duty due to employer negligence. In its decision, the court ruled in favor of Mrs. O'Donnell stating that there was sufficient evidence indicating negligence on part of EJ&E as they failed to provide a safe workplace environment leading directly or indirectly towards Mr.O’Donnell’s death.The ruling emphasized that under FELA even slight negligence resulting in injury or death can make an employer liable.

In the dissenting opinion for O'Donnell v. Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway Co., Justice Robert H. Jackson disagreed with the majority's interpretation of the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA). He argued that FELA was not intended to change common law rules regarding negligence and causation but rather aimed at making it easier for injured workers to receive compensation by eliminating certain defenses available to employers under common law. According to him, a railroad company should only be held liable if its negligence played some part in causing an employee’s injury; however, he believed that this case lacked sufficient evidence showing such connection between the defendant's alleged negligence and plaintiff's harm. Therefore, he would have reversed the judgment of lower court awarding damages to plaintiff.