West v. Smith is a United States Supreme Court case that was decided in 1879. The case involved a dispute between two parties over a contract for the sale of a steamboat. The plaintiff, West, had contracted with the defendant, Smith, to purchase a steamboat for $2,000. West paid Smith the full amount, but Smith failed to deliver the boat. West then sued Smith for breach of contract. The Supreme Court held that Smith was liable for breach of contract. The Court found that Smith had failed to fulfill his contractual obligations and that West was entitled to damages. The Court also held that West was entitled to recover the full amount of the purchase price, plus interest. The Court's decision in West v. Smith established the principle that a party who breaches a contract is liable for damages. This case is still cited today as an example of the legal principle that a party who fails to fulfill his contractual obligations is liable for damages.

Justice Field delivered the dissenting opinion in West v. Smith, arguing that the majority had incorrectly interpreted and applied the law to reach their decision. He argued that under Missouri state law, a contract between two parties could not be enforced if it was made with an intent to defraud creditors of one of those parties. In this case, he believed there was sufficient evidence to show that such an intent existed when West entered into his agreement with Smith; therefore, he felt that enforcing it would be contrary to public policy and should have been disallowed by the court. Justice Field also noted that even though both sides had agreed upon certain terms at the time they entered into their contract, these terms were later modified without any consideration being given for them - something which further showed fraudulent intent on behalf of West towards his creditors. Finally, Justice Field concluded by expressing concern over how allowing contracts like this one might encourage similar behavior in other cases going forward and thus undermine public confidence in our legal system as a whole.