John Stratton, appellant, brought a case against Leonard Jarvis and C. H. H. Brown, appellees in the Supreme Court of the United States to recover damages for an alleged breach of contract between them concerning certain lands located in Virginia. The court found that there was no evidence presented by either party to prove that any agreement had been made between them regarding these lands and thus dismissed the appeal with costs awarded to Jarvis and Brown as appellees. In its opinion on this case, the court stated that it is essential for parties entering into contracts or agreements to provide sufficient proof of their existence before they can be enforced by law; otherwise such claims will not be recognized or upheld by courts of justice due solely on unsupported allegations without any tangible evidence being provided from either side involved in said dispute over contractual matters.

In the case of John Stratton, Appellant v. Leonard Jarvis and C. H. H Brown, Appellees, the dissenting opinion argued that a contract between two parties should be enforced even if it is not in writing as long as there is sufficient evidence to prove its existence and validity. The dissent noted that while contracts must generally be written down for them to be legally binding, this was not always necessary; verbal agreements could also suffice when supported by other forms of proof such as testimony from witnesses or circumstantial evidence related to the agreement's terms and conditions. Furthermore, they argued that since both parties had acted upon their agreement in good faith before any dispute arose over its legality or enforceability - with Stratton having already paid out money based on his understanding of what he owed under said contract - then it would only make sense for the court to uphold it despite its lack of formal documentation.