The Lottawanna was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1875. The case involved a dispute between the owners of the Lottawanna, a steamship, and the owners of the steamship's cargo. The cargo owners had sued the steamship owners for damages caused by the steamship's negligence. The steamship owners argued that they were not liable for the damages because they had acted in good faith and had not been negligent. The Supreme Court held that the steamship owners were liable for the damages caused by their negligence. The Court reasoned that the steamship owners had a duty to exercise reasonable care in the operation of the vessel, and that they had breached this duty by failing to take proper precautions to prevent the damage. The Court also held that the steamship owners were liable for the damages even though they had acted in good faith. The Court's decision in The Lottawanna established the principle that a vessel owner is liable for damages caused by its negligence, even if the owner acted in good faith. This principle has been applied in numerous cases since then, and is still the law today.

The Lottawanna case was a dispute between the United States and the owners of an American vessel, The Lottawanna. The Supreme Court had to decide whether or not the government could take possession of a ship for military use without paying compensation. In this case, it was determined that they could do so under certain circumstances. Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in which he argued that while Congress has broad powers over matters related to national defense, those powers should be limited by constitutional principles such as due process and just compensation when private property is taken for public use. He further argued that if Congress were allowed to seize vessels without providing any form of compensation then there would be no incentive for individuals to invest in ships used in commerce since their investments would always be at risk of being seized by the government with no recompense whatsoever. Therefore, Justice Field concluded that taking private property without just compensation violated both due process and fundamental fairness and should not be permitted under any circumstances