In the case of Seaboard Air Line Railway v. Moore, 1912, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of Seaboard Air Line Railway. The dispute arose when a train owned by the railway company collided with a buggy driven by Mr. Moore's wife and daughter, resulting in their deaths. Mr. Moore sued for damages under South Carolina law which allowed recovery if death was caused due to "wrongful act, neglect or default" of another person or corporation. The court held that while it is true that corporations can be held liable for wrongful acts committed through its agents within the scope of their employment, there must be evidence proving such misconduct on part of an agent leading to injury or damage. However, in this case there was no proof showing any negligence on part of any employee from Seaboard Air Line Railway at time and place where accident occurred; hence they could not be held responsible for causing death. This decision clarified how liability laws apply to corporations and emphasized importance of providing substantial evidence when claiming damages against them.

In the dissenting opinion for Seaboard Air Line Railway v. Moore, it was argued that the court majority erred in their interpretation of liability and responsibility under federal law. The dissenting justices believed that the railway company should not be held liable for damages incurred by Mr. Moore due to an accident caused by a third party's negligence, which resulted in his injury while he was on board one of its trains. They contended that there were no grounds to hold the railway responsible as they had fulfilled their duty of care towards passengers by providing safe transportation and could not have foreseen or prevented this particular incident from occurring. Furthermore, they disagreed with imposing such broad liability on carriers without clear legislative intent or precedent supporting such a decision.