Bates County v. Winters & Another is a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of whether a county could be held liable for damages caused by a defective bridge. The case arose when two individuals, Winters and another, were injured while crossing a bridge in Bates County, Missouri. The bridge was owned by the county and had been built by a private contractor. The plaintiffs argued that the county was liable for the injuries they sustained due to the bridge's defective condition. The Supreme Court held that the county was liable for the injuries sustained by the plaintiffs. The Court reasoned that the county had a duty to maintain the bridge in a safe condition and that it had failed to do so. The Court also noted that the county had a duty to inspect the bridge and that it had failed to do so as well. The Court concluded that the county was liable for the injuries sustained by the plaintiffs and that it was liable for the damages caused by the defective bridge.

In the case of Bates County v. Winters & Another, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a county could be held liable for damages caused by its failure to maintain a bridge over which it had jurisdiction. The majority opinion found that counties were not liable for such damages and thus dismissed the claim against them. However, Justice Field dissented from this decision and argued that counties should indeed be held responsible in these cases as they are ultimately accountable for maintaining public roads and bridges under their control. He noted that while there may have been no specific law requiring them to do so, it is still within their power to take action if necessary in order to protect citizens who use those roads or bridges from harm due to negligence on behalf of the county government's part. Ultimately, he concluded that any damage done by an unsafe road or bridge should fall upon those responsible for its maintenance - namely, local governments like counties - rather than innocent individuals who suffer injury because of it.