Munson v. Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of New York was a United States Supreme Court case that addressed the issue of whether a municipality could be held liable for damages caused by a defective street. The plaintiff, Munson, was injured when his horse and wagon fell into a hole in the street. He sued the City of New York for damages, claiming that the City was negligent in maintaining the street. The Supreme Court held that the City of New York could be held liable for damages caused by a defective street. The Court reasoned that the City had a duty to maintain the streets in a safe condition, and that it was negligent in failing to do so. The Court also held that the City was liable for the damages caused by the defective street, even though it had not been aware of the defect. The Court's decision in Munson v. Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of New York established that municipalities can be held liable for damages caused by defective streets. This decision has been cited in numerous subsequent cases, and has been used to support the idea that municipalities have a duty to maintain public streets in a safe condition.

In Munson v. Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the City of New York, Justice Field delivered a dissenting opinion in which he argued that the majority's decision was contrary to established precedent. He noted that it had long been held by this Court that when an individual has acquired a vested right under state law or contract, such rights are not subject to impairment by subsequent legislation unless there is some clear expression from the legislature indicating its intention to do so. In this case, he argued that no such language existed in either the statute or ordinance at issue and thus they should be found unconstitutional as impairing existing contracts between individuals and municipalities. Furthermore, Justice Field asserted that even if there were language expressing an intent to modify existing contracts with respect to taxation matters then it would still be invalid because any attempt on behalf of a municipality or state government must comply with due process requirements before being enforced against private citizens.