Railroad Company v. Reeves was a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1870. The case involved a dispute between the Railroad Company and Reeves, a passenger on the company's train. Reeves had purchased a ticket for a round-trip journey from the company, but when he attempted to return on the train, he was denied entry. The Railroad Company argued that Reeves had violated the terms of his ticket by not returning on the same day as he had departed, and thus was not entitled to a refund. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Reeves, finding that the Railroad Company had violated the terms of the ticket by denying Reeves entry. The Court held that the Railroad Company had a duty to provide reasonable accommodations to its passengers, and that Reeves was entitled to a refund for the unused portion of his ticket. The Court also noted that the Railroad Company had failed to provide any evidence that Reeves had violated the terms of his ticket, and thus was not entitled to deny him entry. The Court's ruling established that the Railroad Company had a duty to provide reasonable accommodations to its passengers, and that passengers were entitled to a refund for unused portions of their tickets.

In the case of Railroad Company v. Reeves, Justice Field wrote a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the majority's decision was too narrow and failed to consider other important aspects of the case. He believed that Congress had intended for railroad companies to be liable for damages caused by their negligence, regardless of whether or not they were aware of any potential danger posed by their actions. Furthermore, he argued that it would be unjust to allow railroad companies to escape liability simply because they did not know about a particular hazard when there is evidence suggesting that such hazards existed at the time and could have been avoided with reasonable care. As such, Justice Field concluded his dissent by stating that Congress should have been given more consideration in this matter as its intent was clear: railroads must take responsibility for damages resulting from their negligence even if unawareness played a role in causing them.