Curt Muller was a laundry owner and was found guilty for having allowed a supervisor to ask Mrs. Gotcher to work more than 10 hours.
The Oregon law at stake was the law that forbids women from working more than 10 hours a day.
Finally, the decision that the U.S Supreme Court made in 1908 was regarded somewhat controversial. Although it seemed to protect the physical health and the entire well being of women it also strengthens the inequality between men and women in the workplace by stating that women are in some way weaker than men.