In the case of United States v. Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company (1914), the U.S Supreme Court ruled in favor of the railroad company. The dispute arose when the Interstate Commerce Commission ordered a reduction in freight rates on anthracite coal transported by several railroads including Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company. The commission believed that existing rates were unreasonable and discriminatory against smaller shippers who could not negotiate better terms due to lack of volume or bargaining power. However, upon review, the Supreme Court found no evidence supporting these claims made by the commission about unreasonableness or discrimination in rate-setting practices by these railroads. Therefore, it held that without such proof from substantial evidence presented before them during trial proceedings at lower courts level - which was lacking here - they cannot uphold this order issued under authority granted to them through federal legislation known as Hepburn Act (1906). This ruling thus affirmed rights for private corporations like railroads to set their own prices within certain limits unless proven otherwise with sufficient factual basis.

In the dissenting opinion for United States v. Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Company, Justice Holmes disagreed with the majority's ruling that a railroad company could be held liable for damages caused by its negligence in maintaining safety measures. He argued that there was no legal basis to hold the company responsible as it had not violated any specific statutory duty or regulation. Furthermore, he contended that even if such a violation occurred, it would not necessarily mean that the company should bear all financial responsibility for resulting injuries or damages. Instead of focusing on whether regulations were breached, Holmes suggested courts should consider whether reasonable care was taken under circumstances at hand - an approach more aligned with common law principles of negligence liability rather than strict regulatory compliance.