The Pennsylvania Railroad Company v. Stineman Coal Mining Company case in 1916 revolved around the issue of freight charges for coal transportation. The Stineman Coal Mining Company sued the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, claiming that they were overcharged for shipping their coal and sought to recover these excessive payments. However, the railroad company argued that it had charged rates approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), a federal regulatory agency overseeing railroads at that time. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company stating that as long as a carrier's rates are within those established by ICC, shippers cannot challenge them in court on grounds of reasonableness or unreasonableness. This decision upheld the authority and jurisdiction of ICC over rate-setting matters thereby preventing individual courts from interfering with its decisions unless there is evidence showing violation or abuse of power.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Pennsylvania Railroad Company v. Stineman Coal Mining Company argued that the majority's decision was not consistent with previous rulings on similar cases. The dissenters believed that the railroad company should be held liable for damages caused by its negligence, even if it had no direct control over the coal cars at fault. They pointed out that under common law principles, a party who negligently creates a dangerous situation can be held responsible for any harm resulting from it, regardless of whether they have immediate control over the source of danger when injury occurs. Therefore, they disagreed with absolving Pennsylvania Railroad Company from liability based solely on lack of direct control at time of accident.