The Alabama Court of Civil Appeals ruled in December that it’s not appropriate to reduce income by alimony when figuring child support. The father had argued in the case of Spears v. Spears (Ala. Civ. App. 2004) that his income for child support purposes should be reduced by the alimony he was required to pay to his ex-wife. The court said that Rule 32 is clear: it’s “pre-existing” alimony, not alimony from this case.