In the 1898 case of The Chattahoochee, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on a dispute involving maritime law and liability for damages caused by two colliding vessels. The steamship "Chattahoochee" collided with another vessel, "The City of Macon", in New York Harbor due to negligence from both parties. However, it was determined that the primary fault lay with The Chattahoochee as they failed to follow established navigation rules which led to the collision. As such, despite shared blame for the accident, only The Chattahoochee's owners were held financially responsible for all damage costs incurred during this incident because their ship had been found primarily at fault under maritime law principles known as 'the major-minor fault rule'. This ruling reinforced that even if both parties are negligent in a collision between ships; one party can still be held solely liable if their actions were more significantly contributory towards causing an accident.

In the dissenting opinion for The Chattahoochee case, it was argued that the majority's decision to hold a shipowner liable for damages caused by an explosion on their vessel was incorrect. This view held that there should be no liability if the shipowner had exercised due diligence in ensuring safety and could not have foreseen or prevented such an accident. It was also contended that this ruling would set a dangerous precedent, potentially making owners responsible for all accidents occurring on their ships regardless of fault or negligence. Furthermore, they believed this interpretation contradicted previous maritime law principles which traditionally limited owner liability to instances where direct negligence could be proven.