In the case of Texas & Pacific Railway Company v. Bigger in 1915, the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the railway company. The plaintiff, Mr. Bigger, had sued for damages after he was injured while working as a brakeman on one of their trains due to alleged negligence by his fellow employees and unsafe conditions provided by his employer. However, it was found that Mr. Bigger himself had been negligent and contributed to his own injury by not following safety protocols which required him to use a certain tool when performing tasks that led to his accident - something he failed to do despite having knowledge about its necessity and availability at all times during work hours. The court held that under federal law (the Federal Employers' Liability Act), an employee who is partially responsible for their own injuries cannot recover full damages from their employer if they have also been negligent themselves; instead any compensation awarded would be reduced proportionately according to degree of fault attributed towards them. This ruling established important precedent regarding contributory negligence within context of workplace accidents involving railroad workers specifically but has wider implications across other industries too where similar laws apply.

In the dissenting opinion for Texas & Pacific Railway Company v. Bigger, it was argued that the court majority had incorrectly interpreted and applied the law regarding negligence and liability in railway accidents. The dissenting justices believed that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that both parties may have been at fault for the accident, not just the defendant (the railway company). They contended that if a person chooses to cross railroad tracks when a train is approaching, they are assuming some risk and should bear some responsibility if an accident occurs. Furthermore, they disagreed with how much weight was given to certain pieces of evidence over others during trial proceedings. In their view, these errors led to an unjust ruling against Texas & Pacific Railway Company.