Opinion ID: 1748446
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: whether the chancellor's award of alimony is so excessive in this case as to constitute an abuse of discretion and is therefore manifestly wrong.

Text: Whether to award alimony and the amount to be awarded are largely within the discretion of the chancellor. Cherry v. Cherry, 593 So.2d 13, 19 (Miss. 1991). The chancellor should consider the reasonable needs of the wife and the husband's right to lead a normal life with a decent standard of living. Gray v. Gray, 562 So.2d 79, 83 (Miss. 1990). No legal arguments regarding alimony were made at the hearing and the chancellor simply reduced alimony to the same extent that the child support had been reduced. From the totality of the circumstances on this record the chancellor's reduction of alimony without applying any standard was an abuse of discretion. Based on the testimony in the record of the monthly net spendable income of Raymond and the amount of child support awarded, an award of $150.00 per month alimony exceeds the remaining funds on hand. This is clearly an abuse of discretion and the alimony award is reversed and remanded with the child support award for a new hearing. The chancellor's modification of support and alimony is reversed and this cause is remanded to the Chancery Court of Rankin County for a new trial. REVERSED AND REMANDED TO THE CHANCERY COURT OF RANKIN COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, FOR A NEW TRIAL. ROY NOBLE LEE, C.J., HAWKINS and DAN M. LEE, P.JJ., and PRATHER, ROBERTSON, PITTMAN, BANKS and McRAE, JJ., concur.