Minnesota Company v. Chamberlain was a case heard by the United States Supreme Court in 1865. The dispute arose when Minnesota Company, an incorporated business, sued Chamberlain for failing to pay on a promissory note that he had signed with them. The company argued that they were entitled to payment of the full amount due under the terms of the note and sought damages from Chamberlain for his failure to make payments as promised. In its ruling, the court held that while Minnesota Company was indeed entitled to recover damages from Chamberlain for breach of contract, it could not collect more than what would have been owed if all payments had been made according to their agreement; thus any additional costs incurred by Minnesota Company due to Chamberlains' non-payment were not recoverable through this action. This decision established important precedent regarding contractual obligations and remedies available when one party fails or refuses to fulfill their end of an agreement

In Minnesota Company v. Chamberlain, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a contract between two parties could be enforced when one of them had died before it was performed. The majority opinion held that the contract should not be enforced because it would violate public policy by allowing someone to benefit from their own death. However, in his dissenting opinion Justice Field argued that there were no legal or moral grounds for denying enforcement of the contract and that such an action would amount to a taking of property without due process of law as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment. He further argued that if contracts are allowed to become void upon death then all other contractual obligations will also become uncertain and unreliable which is contrary to established principles of commercial law and justice.