Jackson v. Jackson

Nancy Jackson (plaintiff) and Archibald Jackson (defendant) married in 1800. Unable to obtain a divorce in New York, Nancy traveled to Vermont and, alleging Archibald's abuse and temper, obtained a Vermont divorce and a $1,500 alimony award. She then returned to New York and sued to have the Vermont decree recognized and the alimony enforced. Archibald argued enforcement would violate New York public policy, since New York law at the time did not recognize intolerable severity of treatment as grounds for divorce.