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767.273.Allowances pending appeal.

Subch. III: General Procedure · Last amended 2005 · Current through 2025 Wisconsin Act 247 · Last verified September 8, 2026

In one sentenceSection 767.273 lets the trial court award suit money, counsel fees and temporary support while an appeal is pending.

Full Text of Section 767.273

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In an action affecting the family pending in appellate court, an allowance for suit money, counsel fees, or disbursements in the court or for temporary maintenance or support payments to the spouse or the children during the pendency of the appeal may be made by the proper trial court upon motion made and decided after entry of the order or judgment appealed from and prior to the return of the record to appellate court. If the allowance is ordered before the appeal is taken, the order shall be conditioned upon the taking of the appeal and is not effective until the record is transmitted to appellate court.
End

Official Notes

Wisconsin prints certain labelled notes with the statute — effective-date notes, cross-references, and notes of the Judicial Council. They are reproduced verbatim below. The unlabelled digest of court decisions that the Legislative Reference Bureau prints after them is annotation rather than statute, and is not reproduced.

NOTE: 2005 Wis. Act 443 contains explanatory notes.

Amendment History

Wisconsin prints each section’s legislative history as a single “History” line naming every act that created or amended it, and every renumbering. It is reproduced verbatim below.

History: 1975 c. 94; 1977 c. 105; 1977 c. 187 s. 89; 1979 c. 32 s. 50; 1979 c. 352 s. 39; Stats. 1979 s. 767.39; Sup. Ct. Order, 146 Wis. 2d xiii (1988); 2005 a. 443 s. 176.

Plain-English Summary

An appeal can take a year, and the family still has to live. Where an action affecting the family is pending in an appellate court, an allowance for suit money, counsel fees or disbursements, or for temporary maintenance or support payments to the spouse or the children during the appeal, may be made.

The notable part is which court makes it: the proper trial court, on a motion made and decided after entry of the judgment or order appealed from. The appellate court does not have to be troubled with it, and the trial court does not lose the power simply because the case has gone up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who awards fees while a Wisconsin family appeal is pending?

The proper trial court, on a motion made and decided after entry of the judgment or order appealed from.

What can be awarded during an appeal?

Suit money, counsel fees or disbursements, and temporary maintenance or support payments to the spouse or the children during the pendency of the appeal.

Source & verification. The statutory text, official notes and history are reproduced verbatim from the Wisconsin Statutes, Chapter 767 (Wis. Stat. § 767.273), published by the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. Current through 2025 Wisconsin Act 247. The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified September 8, 2026. · Official source
Also known as: fees pending appeal Wisconsin familytemporary support during appealsuit money appeal divorce