DeMo v. DeMo

In DeMo v. DeMo, 679 So. 2d 265, 266-67 (Ala. Civ. App. 1996), the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals construed the child support guidelines established by a rule promulgated by that state's highest court. The rule did not specifically provide that the guidelines apply to adult destitute children. Instead, it referred only to "child support." The Alabama court concluded that the words "child" and "children" in the guidelines include dependent adult children. It reasoned that the state's highest court "could have precluded the application of the guidelines to adult disabled children by specifying that the guidelines are applicable only to 'minor' children." Id. at 267. Because there was no such "limitation" in the rule, the court reasoned that "it is logical to conclude that no limitation was intended." Id.