Vincent v. Lake Erie Transportation Co.

Lake Erie Transportation (Erie) (defendant) had its boat anchored to Vincent's (plaintiff) Duluth dock to unload cargo when a violent storm trapped it in the harbor for two days; Erie deliberately kept the boat tied to Vincent's dock throughout the storm to keep it from drifting, an undisputedly reasonable exercise of care given the storm's severity, but strong winds repeatedly slammed the boat against the dock, damaging it. A jury awarded Vincent $500, and Erie appealed, arguing it couldn't be liable since it acted with due care under the circumstances.