The Baigorry was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1864. The case involved two ships, the Baigorry and the San Francisco, which collided off of Cape Horn in 1861. The owners of both vessels sued each other for damages caused by the collision. In its decision, the court held that when two vessels collide at sea due to negligence on either side, they are equally liable for any resulting damage or injury regardless of who is actually responsible for causing it. This ruling established a precedent known as “comparative fault” whereby liability is shared between parties based on their respective degree of fault rather than one party being solely responsible for all damages incurred from an accident or incident. As such, this decision has had far-reaching implications in maritime law and continues to be cited today as legal authority regarding comparative fault principles

The Baigorry case was a dispute between the United States and Spain over ownership of certain islands in the Caribbean Sea. The Supreme Court held that, under international law, title to these islands had been acquired by Spain through long-continued possession and occupation. In his dissenting opinion, Justice Field argued that this decision ignored fundamental principles of international law which required an actual transfer of sovereignty from one nation to another for such a claim to be valid. He further noted that while Spanish vessels may have visited or even occupied some of the disputed islands at various times throughout history, there was no evidence that any formal act transferring sovereignty had ever taken place. Therefore he concluded it would be improper for the court to recognize Spanish claims based solely on its alleged prior possession without proof of an actual transfer having occurred.