In the case of James N. Olney v. The Steam-Ship Falcon, Her Tackle, &C., and George Law and Marshall O. Roberts, Claimants, the Supreme Court was asked to determine whether a libelant (Olney) could recover damages from a steamboat owner for injuries sustained while he was employed as an engineer on board one of their vessels. Olney had been injured when his foot became entangled in some machinery aboard the vessel which caused him to fall into scalding water below deck; this resulted in severe burns that required medical attention and left him unable to work for several months afterwards. The court ultimately ruled that Olney was entitled to compensation for his injuries since it found that they were due solely or primarily because of negligence on behalf of either the owners or operators of the vessel – thus making them liable under maritime law at that time.

In the case of James N. Olney v. The Steam-Ship Falcon, Her Tackle, &C., and George Law and Marshall O. Roberts, Claimants, Justice Grier delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the lower court had erred in its decision to dismiss Olney's claim against the steam-ship Falcon for damages caused by an accident involving his vessel. He reasoned that under maritime law it was well established that when two vessels collide due to negligence on either side then both parties are liable for any resulting damage or injury regardless of fault; thus even if one party is found not at fault they can still be held responsible for any losses incurred by another as a result of their actions or omissions. Furthermore, he noted that since this collision occurred within navigable waters then admiralty jurisdiction applied and therefore all claims should have been heard before a jury rather than dismissed without consideration from the court below. In conclusion Justice Grier maintained that Olney should have been allowed to present his case before a jury so as to determine whether or not there were grounds upon which liability could be assigned against either party involved in this incident