In the case of Weyerhaeuser Steamship Co. v. Nacirema Operating Co., Inc., the U.S Supreme Court was tasked with determining who should bear responsibility for injuries sustained by a longshoreman while loading cargo onto a ship owned by Weyerhaeuser but operated and maintained by Nacirema. The court held that under Section 5(b) of the Longshoremen's and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, an owner is not liable if they have fully transferred control over to another party, in this case - Nacirema Operating Company. Therefore, it was determined that since Weyerhaeuser had no control or supervision over the loading operations at the time of injury, they were not responsible for ensuring safe conditions during those operations nor could they be held accountable for any negligence leading to accidents or injuries on board their vessel.

In the dissenting opinion for Weyerhaeuser Steamship Co. v. Nacirema Operating Co., Inc., Justice Brennan disagreed with the majority's interpretation of a clause in a stevedoring contract, arguing that it did not indemnify shipowners against their own negligence. He contended that such an interpretation was inconsistent with general principles of contract law and maritime law, which typically require clear and unequivocal language to impose liability for one's own negligence on another party. Furthermore, he argued that this ruling could have negative implications by discouraging shipowners from maintaining safe conditions onboard their vessels since they would be shielded from liability under such contracts.