In the case of Wabash Railroad Company v. Adelbert College of the Western Reserve University in 1907, the Supreme Court ruled on a dispute over land ownership. The college claimed that it was entitled to certain lands under an old grant, while Wabash Railroad argued that they had acquired these lands through purchase and subsequent legislation. The court found in favor of Wabash Railroad, stating that although the original grant may have intended for such lands to be used for educational purposes, this did not necessarily mean they were legally owned by any particular institution. Furthermore, later laws which allowed for their sale did not specify who should benefit from such transactions or how proceeds should be distributed - thus leaving room for private acquisition by entities like Wabash Railroad.

The dissenting opinion in the case of Wabash Railroad Company v. Adelbert College of the Western Reserve University argued that the majority's decision to uphold a lower court ruling, which found in favor of Adelbert College and against Wabash Railroad, was incorrect. The dissenters believed that there were significant errors made by the trial court regarding both fact-finding and application of law. They contended that these mistakes led to an unjust outcome for Wabash Railroad Company. Specifically, they disagreed with how damages were calculated and felt it was unfair to hold the railroad company responsible for losses incurred due to delays caused by unforeseen circumstances beyond their control such as weather conditions or mechanical failures. Furthermore, they expressed concern about potential negative implications this ruling could have on future cases involving similar disputes between railroads and shippers.