Commonwealth v. Esper
Commonwealth v. Esper
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The defendant was indicted for selling liquor without license. Two defenses were presented: First, that the Act of May 13, 1887, under which the indictment was drawn was abrogated by the eighteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States; secondly, that there is a presumption that the act of the defendant was done under compulsion of her husband. The first subject was considered in the case of Com. v. Tony Vigliotti, 75 Pa. Superior Ct. 366. The conclusion there was contrary to the contention of the appellant. For the reasons in that case stated, the first, second, third, fifth and seventh assignments are overruled.
The fourth assignment challenges the answer of the court to the defendant’s second point which is that there can be no conviction of the wife, the act of the selling being in the presence of her husband and the charge against her being a misdemeanor. No evidence was offered for the defense. The court could not properly have affirmed the point as stated. There is only a presumption that the wife acted under coercion of her husband
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.