The Quong Ham Wah Company v. Industrial Accident Commission of the State of California case in 1920 revolved around a dispute over workers' compensation for an injured employee. The plaintiff, Quong Ham Wah Company, was a corporation that operated under Chinese laws and had its principal place of business in Hong Kong but also conducted operations in San Francisco, California. An employee working at their San Francisco location suffered injuries while on duty and sought compensation from the company through California's Industrial Accident Commission (IAC). The IAC ruled in favor of the worker; however, this decision was contested by the company which argued that it should not be subject to Californian jurisdiction as it is based overseas. The U.S Supreme Court disagreed with this argument stating that since they were operating within California and benefiting from its resources and infrastructure, they are indeed subject to local laws including those related to workers' compensation. Therefore, even though Quong Ham Wah Company primarily functioned under Chinese law due to its base being located there - when conducting business elsewhere such as within America or specifically within states like California - they must adhere to local regulations too.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Quong Ham Wah Company v. Industrial Accident Commission of California argued that the majority's decision to uphold a state law requiring employers to compensate workers for injuries sustained on the job, regardless of fault, was an overreach and violated principles of federalism. The dissent contended that such matters should be left up to individual states rather than being decided by federal courts. They also expressed concern about potential negative impacts on businesses due to increased costs associated with worker compensation claims. Furthermore, they disagreed with the majority's interpretation of constitutional protections for property rights and contracts, arguing that these were infringed upon by mandatory worker compensation laws.