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Abstract

THE PENNSYLVANIA SUPERIOR COURT, in Wiegand v. Wiegand,struck out at one of the true bastions of sex discrimination incorporated into the Anglo-American legal system. The legislated discrimination of the Pennsylvania Divorce Law was the object of the court's scrutiny. Appellee Sara Wiegand had filed a complaint in divorce a mensa et thora, a petition for alimony, and an initial petition for alimony pendente lite, counsel fees, and expenses. On August 14, 1967, the Court of Common Pleas, Allegheny County, ordered appellant Myron Wiegand to pay $875 per month alimony pendente lite and $250 preliminary counsel fees. Subsequently, appellee filed additional petitions for counsel fees and costs for continued or increased alimony pendente lite. Appellant submitted answers to these pleadings and a counter-claim seeking divorce a vinculo matrimoni. The court ordered appellant to pay $5,000 counsel fees and $82.50 court costs. On appeal to the Superior Court the husband limited his assignment of errors to two related issues. The first was whether the amount for counsel fees was excessive; the second whether the court below erred in refusing to permit cross-examination of appellee as to how she had dispersed the money previously paid over to her.

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