The Brig Ann, M'Clain, Master was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1815. The case involved a dispute between two parties over ownership of goods that were shipped on board the Brig Ann. The plaintiff argued that they had purchased certain goods from the defendant and paid for them with money and notes prior to their shipment on board the vessel. However, when it came time to collect payment for those goods upon arrival at port, they found out that another party had already taken possession of them claiming title as an agent of the defendant. The court ultimately held in favor of the plaintiff finding that since they had already paid for those goods before shipping them aboard ship, any subsequent claim made by another party did not supersede their own right to receive payment upon delivery at port.

In The Brig Ann, M'Clain, Master (1815), the Supreme Court held that a master of a vessel was not liable for damages caused by his crew's negligence. In dissent, Justice Story argued that the master should be held responsible because he had control over and responsibility for the actions of his crew. He noted that it would be unjust to allow masters to escape liability when their crews acted negligently or unlawfully while on board their vessels. Furthermore, he argued that if masters were allowed to avoid such liability then they would have no incentive to ensure proper discipline among their crews and prevent them from engaging in negligent behavior. Therefore, Justice Story concluded that holding masters accountable for any damage caused by their crew's negligence was necessary in order to promote safety at sea and protect those who may suffer losses due to such negligence.