In the case of Seaboard Air Line Railway v. Padgett, 1914, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of Seaboard Air Line Railway. The court held that under the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA), a railroad company is not liable for injuries to an employee if those injuries were caused by another employee's negligence and not due to any fault or neglect on part of the employer itself. This ruling came after Mrs. Padgett sued Seaboard Air Line Railway for damages following her husband's death while working on their rail line; she claimed his death was due to negligent actions by his fellow employees which should make the railway company responsible as per FELA provisions. However, Justice Holmes writing for majority clarified that FELA does not hold employers accountable for all workplace accidents but only when they are directly at fault or have neglected safety measures leading to such incidents.

In the dissenting opinion for Seaboard Air Line Railway v. Padgett, it was argued that the court erred in its decision to hold the railway company liable for damages resulting from an accident involving one of their employees. The dissenting justices believed that there was insufficient evidence to prove negligence on part of the railway company and therefore they should not be held responsible for compensating Mrs. Padgett, who had lost her husband in said accident. They contended that Mr. Padgett's death could have been caused by a number of factors unrelated to any alleged negligence by his employer and thus it would be unjust to place full blame on them without concrete proof of wrongdoing or neglectful behavior leading directly to his demise.