The Marine Insurance Company of Alexandria v. Wilson was a case heard before the United States Supreme Court in 1805. The dispute revolved around whether or not an insurance policy issued by the company to cover goods shipped from France to America had been breached when some of those goods were lost at sea due to negligence on part of the ship's captain and crew. The court ultimately ruled that while there may have been negligence, it did not constitute a breach of contract as defined by law and therefore no damages could be awarded against the insurer for losses incurred during shipment. This decision established important precedent regarding contracts between insurers and their customers, setting out clear guidelines for what constitutes a breach under such agreements.

In The Marine Insurance Company of Alexandria v. Wilson, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a contract for marine insurance had been breached by the insurer when they refused to pay out on an insurance claim made by the insured. Justice Livingston delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that there were two separate contracts at play: one between the insurer and its agent, and another between the insured and their own agent. He argued that since both parties had agreed upon different terms within each contract, it could not be said with certainty which party was responsible for any breach of contract or if either party had actually committed such a breach at all. Furthermore, he noted that even if one party did commit some form of breach, this would not necessarily absolve them from liability as long as they acted in good faith towards fulfilling their obligations under both contracts. Ultimately Justice Livingston concluded that more evidence should have been gathered before making any determination regarding who was liable for breaching either agreement.