Anastasi v. Anastasi
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
544 F. Supp. 866 (1982)
Jeanne (plaintiff) sued Joseph (defendant) in diversity for breaching his agreement to support her financially for life; the district court initially found the domestic-relations exception inapplicable, treating the claim as an ordinary contract dispute, but reconsidered after the New Jersey Supreme Court's decision in Crowe v. DeGioia recognized the state's significant interest in overseeing agreement-based cohabitation relationships akin to marriage.
Whether, under the domestic-relations exception to federal jurisdiction, state courts rather than federal courts are the proper venue to hear and decide matters involving alimony, palimony, and related domestic issues.