LeRoy Fibre Co. v. Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Ry.
United States Supreme Court
232 U.S. 340 (1914)
LeRoy Fibre Co. (plaintiff) owned land over which it had granted the Railroad (defendant) a right of way for its locomotives, and it stored two large piles of flax on that land, seventy and eighty-five feet from the right of way. One evening, the Railroad's locomotive negligently emitted heavy sparks while crossing the land, igniting and destroying both piles. LeRoy sued for negligence; the jury found the Railroad negligent but also found LeRoy contributorily negligent for placing the flax within one hundred feet of the right of way. The Supreme Court reviewed the contributory-negligence finding.
Whether a property owner who properly uses his property is liable for contributory negligence when he suffers damage from the negligence of another party authorized to use the land.