Michaela Leonarda Almonester, the wife separated from bed and board of Joseph Xavier Delfau de Pontalba, brought a case against Joseph Kenton to the United States Supreme Court. The dispute was over whether or not Michaela had any right to her husband's property in Louisiana after their separation. At issue was whether she could claim dower rights as his widow under Spanish law, which allowed for widows to receive one-third of their deceased husbands' estates. The court ultimately ruled that since Louisiana had become part of the United States before Michaela and her husband were married, she did not have any legal standing under Spanish law and thus no right to her late husband's estate. This ruling established an important precedent regarding how foreign laws are applied in American courts when it comes to marriage contracts between citizens of different countries.

In the dissenting opinion of Michaela Leonarda Almonester, The Wife Separated from Bed and Board of Joseph Xavier Delfau de Pontalba v. Joseph Kenton, Justice McLean argued that a wife who has been separated from her husband by mutual consent is not entitled to alimony or support payments as she is no longer considered his legal spouse. He further stated that if the parties had entered into an agreement for such payments prior to their separation then it should be enforced in accordance with its terms but otherwise there was no obligation on either party to provide financial assistance. In addition, he noted that Louisiana law did not recognize any right for a woman to receive alimony when she had voluntarily left her husband's home without cause and thus this case should have been dismissed outright rather than remanded back to the lower court.