Hutchinson v. The Northfield was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1895. The case involved a dispute between the Northfield, a steamship, and Hutchinson, a passenger on the ship. Hutchinson had purchased a ticket to travel from New York to Liverpool, England, but the ship was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Halifax, Nova Scotia due to bad weather. Hutchinson was forced to disembark in Halifax and was not allowed to reboard the ship. He sued the Northfield for breach of contract, claiming that he had been promised a direct voyage from New York to Liverpool. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hutchinson, finding that the Northfield had breached its contract with Hutchinson by not providing him with a direct voyage from New York to Liverpool. The Court held that the Northfield was liable for damages, as it had failed to fulfill its contractual obligations. The Court also held that the Northfield was not entitled to any compensation for the delay caused by the bad weather, as it had failed to exercise reasonable care in avoiding the delay. This case established the principle that a carrier is liable for damages when it fails to fulfill its contractual obligations.

In Hutchinson v. The Northfield, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a contract between two parties that had been partially performed could be enforced by either party against the other. The majority opinion held that it could not, but Justice Field dissented from this decision and argued that such contracts should be enforceable when one of the parties has already substantially performed their obligations under the agreement. He reasoned that if both sides have received some benefit from performing their part of an agreement then they should both remain bound to its terms even if only one side has fully completed all of its duties as outlined in the contract. Furthermore, he noted that allowing for enforcement would encourage people to enter into agreements with confidence knowing they will receive what is due them upon completion or partial performance of any contractual obligation.