In the case of James Stimpson v. West Chester Railroad Company, Stimpson brought a suit against the railroad company for damages he sustained when his horse was frightened by one of their locomotives and ran away. The trial court found in favor of the railroad company, ruling that they were not liable as there was no negligence on their part. On appeal to the Supreme Court, Justice Catron reversed this decision and held that it is enough if an injury results from a defendant's act without any fault or carelessness on their part; thus making them liable for damages caused by such acts even if done innocently or unintentionally. This ruling established a new precedent which holds companies responsible for injuries resulting from activities conducted under its authority regardless of whether those activities are negligent or not.

In the case of James Stimpson v. West Chester Railroad Company, Justice McLean delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the plaintiff was entitled to damages for his injury due to negligence on behalf of the defendant railroad company. He reasoned that since it was foreseeable that passengers would be injured if they were required to board and disembark from moving trains, then it should have been foreseeable by the railroad company as well. Therefore, he concluded that there is no reason why they should not be held liable for any injuries sustained by their passengers due to this negligence. Furthermore, Justice McLean stated that even though there may have been some contributory negligence on part of Mr Stimpson himself when boarding or disembarking from a moving train, this does not absolve the defendant railway company from its responsibility towards its customers' safety and wellbeing.