In the case of Stevirmac Oil & Gas Company v. Dittman et al., 1917, the U.S Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a Pennsylvania state law that allowed landowners to recover royalties from oil and gas extracted from their property by others without permission violated the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause. The plaintiff, Stevirmac Oil & Gas Company, argued that this law deprived them of their property rights without due process because they had purchased leases on these lands in good faith but were later sued for royalties by individuals who claimed ownership based on old deeds. However, the court ruled against Stevirmac Oil & Gas Company stating that there was no violation of constitutional rights as long as state laws did not deprive an individual or corporation of property arbitrarily or capriciously. It held that states have broad powers to regulate private property use when it is necessary for public welfare and does not violate any specific federal constitutional prohibitions.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Stevirmac Oil & Gas Company v. Dittman et al., 1917, argued that the majority's decision to uphold a lower court ruling against Stevirmac was incorrect. The dissenting justices believed that there was insufficient evidence to support the claimants' assertion that they had been defrauded by Stevirmac. They also disagreed with the majority's interpretation of relevant state laws and felt that these laws did not provide clear guidance on how such disputes should be resolved. Furthermore, they expressed concern about potential negative impacts on business operations if companies could be held liable for alleged fraud without concrete proof.