The Lucille was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1872. The case involved a dispute between the owners of the Lucille, a steamboat, and the owners of the steamer, the City of New York. The Lucille had been damaged by the City of New York while the two vessels were passing each other in the Hudson River. The owners of the Lucille sued the owners of the City of New York for damages. The Supreme Court held that the owners of the Lucille were entitled to damages for the damage caused by the City of New York. The Court found that the City of New York had been negligent in its navigation of the vessel and had failed to take proper precautions to avoid the collision. The Court also held that the owners of the Lucille were entitled to damages for the loss of the vessel and its cargo. The Court's decision established the principle that a vessel is liable for damages caused by its negligence, even if the other vessel was also negligent. This principle has been applied in many subsequent cases involving collisions between vessels. The Lucille case is an important precedent in maritime law and is still cited today.

In The Lucille, the Supreme Court was tasked with determining whether a vessel had been legally abandoned by its owner. A majority of justices held that the vessel had not been abandoned and thus could be recovered from the party who seized it. Justice Field dissented, arguing that there was sufficient evidence to show that the owner intended to abandon his property rights in the ship and did so without any intention of reclaiming them at some later date. He argued further that even if this were not true, then under maritime law an abandonment must be presumed when a person has voluntarily relinquished possession for more than one year without making any effort to recover or assert ownership over it. As such, he concluded that regardless of intent or lack thereof on behalf of the original owner, legal title should have passed from him upon expiration of said period and therefore no recovery should have been allowed against those who took possession during this time frame.