Town of South Ottawa v. Perkins was a United States Supreme Court case that dealt with the issue of whether a municipality could be held liable for damages caused by a defective bridge. The case arose when a man named Perkins was injured while crossing a bridge owned by the Town of South Ottawa. Perkins sued the town for damages, claiming that the bridge was in a state of disrepair and that the town had failed to maintain it properly. The Supreme Court held that the town could be held liable for damages caused by the defective bridge. The Court reasoned that the town had a duty to maintain the bridge in a safe condition and that it had breached this duty by failing to do so. The Court also noted that the town had received notice of the bridge's condition and had failed to take any action to remedy the situation. As a result, the Court held that the town was liable for the damages caused by the defective bridge.

In Town of South Ottawa v. Perkins, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a town could be held liable for damages caused by an act of negligence committed by its officers or agents. The majority opinion found that the town was not liable because it had no control over the actions of its officers and agents, and therefore could not be responsible for their negligent acts. However, Justice Field dissented from this ruling on two grounds: firstly, he argued that towns should have some responsibility when their employees commit wrongful acts; secondly, he noted that in this case there were specific laws which imposed liability upon municipalities for such wrongs. He concluded that these laws should apply in this situation as well and thus the town should be held accountable for any damage caused by its employees' negligence.