377 Pa. Super. 268 - Fitzpatrick v. Fitzpatrick’s Empirical Analysis
1988
Citation profile
20 state decisions
How this case has been cited
Cited by 20 later decisions — most recently January 2008
20 state decisions
Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.
Relationships
Relies on Stickel v. Ohio Casualty Co. · 283 Pa. Super. 217 - Sands v. Pa. Ins. Guaranty Ass'n · 332 Pa. Super. 526 - King v. King · Bacchetta v. Bacchetta · 293 Pa. Super. 491 - Gordon v. Gordon
Most-quoted passages
The sentences later courts lift from this opinion, ranked by how many decisions quote each — the parts of the opinion doing the work. These counts are smaller than the citation total above because most of the 20 citing decisions cite the case generally; a passage count includes only decisions quoting that exact language verbatim.
“In determining the propriety of an award of counsel fees, we also utilize an abuse of discretion standard of review. Miller v. Miller, 352 Pa.Super. 432, 443 , 508 A.2d 550, 556 (1986); Pangallo v. Pangallo, 329 Pa.Super. 25, 31 , 477 A.2d 885, 888 (1984); Prozzoly v. Prozzoly, 327 Pa.Super. 326, 331 , 475 A.2d 820, 823 (1984); Ruth v. Ruth, 316 Pa.Super. 282, 285 , 462 A.2d 1351, 1352-1353 (1983). However, counsel fees are not awarded to either spouse automatically. Diamond v. Diamond, [ 360 Pa. Super. 101, 116 , 519 A.2d 1012, 1019 (1987)]. “Actual need must be shown in order to justify an award.” Dech v. Dech, 342 Pa.Super. 17, 23 , 492 A.2d 41, 44 (1985), citing Hoover v. Hoover, 288 Pa.Super. 159, 161-162 , 431 A.2d 337, 338 (1981). Counsel fees are appropriate when necessary to put the parties “on a par” in defending their rights or in allowing a dependent spouse to maintain or defend an action for divorce. See: Miller v. Miller, supra 352 Pa.Super. at 442 , 508 A.2d at 556 ; Dech v. Dech, supra; Young v. Young, 274 Pa.Super. 298, 302 , 418 A.2d 415, 417 (1980).”
1 later decision quote this exact passage
How this case has been treated — in progress
Whether each later court followed, distinguished, criticized, or overruled this decision. The treatment classification (task #35) runs highest-cited cases first and lights up here as it reaches this one.