In the case of Ruddy v. Rossi (1918), the United States Supreme Court dealt with a dispute over property rights and inheritance laws. The plaintiff, Ruddy, claimed that he was entitled to certain properties in California as an heir of his deceased brother who had died intestate (without a will). However, these properties were already in possession of Rossi, who argued that she acquired them through her late husband - also a brother to Ruddy. The main issue revolved around whether or not Italian law should be applied since all parties involved were originally from Italy and the deceased brothers had not become naturalized U.S citizens before their death. According to Italian law at that time, siblings could only inherit if there were no surviving children or spouse which would disqualify Ruddy's claim as Rossi was still alive. The court ruled against applying foreign law on American soil unless it is explicitly stated in treaties between countries; such provisions did not exist between America and Italy then. Therefore California state laws regarding succession where applicable instead which allowed for siblings' inheritance even when there are surviving spouses but under specific conditions like lack of community property agreement among others.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Ruddy v. Rossi argued that the majority's decision was incorrect because it failed to properly consider the nature and purpose of a homestead exemption law. The dissent believed that such laws were designed to protect families from becoming homeless due to financial difficulties or debt, not as a means for individuals to avoid paying their debts altogether. They contended that Mr. Ruddy had manipulated this law by transferring his property into his wife's name with the sole intention of avoiding payment on a judgment against him, which they viewed as an abuse of the system rather than legitimate use of homestead protections. Therefore, they felt that Mrs.Rossi should have been allowed to execute her lien against Mrs.Ruddy’s property despite its status as a homestead.