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Gay Ex-Gov Wins Round In Divorce Court
by The Associated Press
Posted: March 21, 2008 - 8:00 am ET
(Elizabeth, New Jersey) Former Gov. Jim McGreevey didn't
plan to torment his wife while they were married, a judge in their divorce case
has ruled, while allowing her to continue with a claim of marriage fraud.
The judge dismissed Dina Matos McGreevey's claim of
emotional distress against her estranged gay husband.
"Mr. McGreevey was not out to destroy her
emotionally," said Superior Court Judge Karen Cassidy.
Cassidy, a Union County Superior Court judge, said she
would permit the fraud claim to continue for now, but warned, "That does
not guarantee the defendant will be successful in trying her claim."
Matos McGreevey claims she was duped into marrying a gay
man who sought the cover of a wife to hide his homosexuality and further his
political ambitions. He claims he provided companionship and a child, thus
fulfilling his part of the marriage contract.
Thursday's pretrial hearing came less than a week after
McGreevey, 50, said claims that he and his wife engaged in threesomes with a
male aide were true; Matos McGreevey, 41, denied they happened.
Arriving with her attorney Thursday, Matos McGreevey said
only "no comment" as she entered the courthouse. McGreevey also
attended the hearing and said nothing on his way into or out of the courthouse.
His lawyer, Stephen Haller, said the judge's rulings
encouraged his legal team. "Read between the lines," he said of the
judge's words of caution in allowing the fraud claim to proceed.
Cassidy told the former first couple that their divorce
trial, scheduled to start May 6, would get ugly.
"We all know what happened this week," she said.
"What evidence will likely be heard in this case, this week was just the
tip of the iceberg."
In interviews with The Star-Ledger of Newark and the New
York Post, former McGreevey driver Teddy Pedersen said he had consensual sex
with the couple for about two years before McGreevey became governor. He said he
had contact only with Dina Matos McGreevey during the trysts and wasn't sure
whether McGreevey was gay.
Pedersen, 29, said he came forward to support McGreevey's
contention that his wife had to have known he was gay when they married. She
says she had no clue.
Cassidy also agreed during Thursday's three-hour court
proceeding to allow testimony from a financial expert hired by Matos McGreevey.
McGreevey sought to bar CPA Kalman Barson's report, which claims she is entitled
to much more money than what the ex-governor says he can afford to pay.
She is seeking $600,000 in compensation for the time she
would have spent at the governor's mansion had he not resigned.
That estimate includes keeping with the "Drumthwacket
lifestyle," which included use of state police helicopters, a personal
assistant, household staff and use of the state's beach house. Drumthwacket is
the governor's mansion.
Before McGreevey became governor, he made $52,000 a year
as mayor of Woodbridge, and the couple lived in a condominium.
McGreevey left office in 2004 after acknowledging an
affair with a male staffer who he said was trying to blackmail him. The
ex-staffer denies being gay or having an affair, and said he was sexually
harassed by the Democratic governor.
Cassidy also heard arguments on the custody of their
6-year-old daughter but barred the media from that portion of the hearing. The
judge this week sealed court records relating to the girl.
©365Gay.com 2008
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